Silent Insecurities
by HeMoIsBoss
Summary: After a devastating experience at the age of fourteen, Brittany shut herself off from the world and now only speaks to her two best friends Sam and Quinn. Santana is new to McKinley and after a rocky start with Brittany, she soon realises that she wants to help the blonde overcome her fears.
1. Introductions

I felt as if I was an elastic band and everyone was going to keep pulling at me until I snapped. Every time they told me to shut up or called me stupid, it was the equivalent to a pull. Then, on my fourteenth birthday, I was told to shut up because I was stupid, and I snapped.

I'm not stupid. I promise you I'm not. I will admit to being a little na_ï_ve and too trusting of other people, but I'm not stupid. I'm not the smartest of people though, and I'm definitely not book smart, but not everyone has to be book smart, right? I mean Walt Disney, Bill Gates, Einstein and Isaac Newton didn't do too well in school, but look at them now.

Like I said, I'm not the smartest of people, I have a different way of thinking from most. I often tend to get words jumbled up and sometimes I don't know the right answer in class, but I think it's because the teachers don't ask the right questions and they don't specify about what they want as an answer. For example, when I was thirteen and I was asked what the capital of Ohio was, I answered 'O', because it is. If the teacher had asked me what the capital city of Ohio was, then I would have given them another answer.

Even though I'm not book smart, I am people smart. I've always been able to make friends easily and cheer people up whenever they're upset. I'm also able to read people's emotions just by looking at their facial expressions and body language. It's something that I've always been good at and I'm glad that I am because it comes in handy all the time, especially with Quinn. She's my best friend. Sometimes, she gets super stressed out and she crosses her arms over her chest and scrunches her eyebrows together, that's when I know she wants a cuddle. When she is quiet and is playing with her fingers, she wants to be left alone.

Quinn is my protector at school. She's like a Power Ranger. So is Sam, he is my other best friend. Quinn says that at school, people take advantage of me, so she and Sam are always by my side to look out for me. We're like the three musketeers. I know that no matter what, the two of them have my back. I honestly couldn't ask for better friends than them. Sam even gets into fights with other guys for me. I always tell him that he shouldn't, but he doesn't listen. He gets angry at them when they call me names, but I ignore it. Sam can't do that though and either can Quinn. She gets into fights with the girls. One time when we were sixteen, I walked into the changing room for Cheerios practice and I found Quinn slamming another cheerleader head first into a locker. I didn't need to ask why she had done it, because I already knew. I broke up the fight by placing my hand on Quinn's shoulder, she instantly relaxed under my touch, let go of the girl and then turned in my arms and hugged me.

Like I said, I love my friends.

People are confused when they find out I'm a Cheerio and yet I get bullied. I don't get bullied by many people, just some that don't understand what's going on. Quinn says they're ignorant. I'm pretty sure that means they're uneducated, I might be wrong though.

I get bullied because I'm different and people think I'm stupid. I don't really know how to explain how I'm different, because in almost every way, I'm not. I'm a happy and healthy human being who likes to dance, feed ducks and hang out with my friends and family. I'm happy with my life. I'm always smiling and doing my best to make other people happy, it's what I enjoy doing. If you saw me, you'd think that I was like every other teenage girl, and in a lot of ways I am. There's just one problem though, I don't talk.

It's not that I can't talk, because I can. It's just that I don't want to. I only talk to a selected few people that I feel comfortable around. I talk to Quinn, Sam, my little sister Courtney and my cat Lord Tubbington. He's just as good as Quinn for keeping secrets. Many people assume that I'm stupid because I don't talk to everyone, it's why they bully me. They know they can get away with doing whatever they want to me because I won't tell on them. Luckily, the bullying isn't too bad because I always have either Sam or Quinn at my side. They are two of the most popular people in McKinley High School and everyone tries to avoid confrontation with them if they can help it. However, there are some people who shout names like 'idiot' and 'stupid' at me when I walk down the hallways, I usually ignore it, but if Sam or Quinn hears it then they order for the person to be slushied or they get into a fight with them. Personally, I prefer the slushy method. At least they taste nice.

There is a reason to why I don't talk. I'm not doing it for attention or for sympathy. It's easier if I don't talk.

Growing up, everyone referred to me as 'slow'. When my teachers would talk to my parents, they would always say that I was 'the slowest in the class'. It always confused me because I was the fastest in the class. I could beat them all in a running race. Quinn explained it to me though, she told me that it meant that it took me longer to understand things than it did for other children. I suppose that was true, because sometimes it did take me longer to learn things.

My parents got upset when they found out that I wasn't as smart as the other children. My mother always told me to be like Quinn, but I didn't want to be like Quinn. She could be pretty boring. One time, I wanted to feed the ducks, but she wouldn't let us go because it was raining. Sam went with me instead and the next day we were both ill. It was worth it though.

I promised my parents that I would do my best to act like Quinn in class, but it was too boring. She would sit still and work neatly and she would never talk, I just couldn't act like that. Eventually, other students began to notice that I wasn't as smart as them and they began to call me names. They started doing that when I was nine. I did my best to ignore them, but it was hard. By the time I was thirteen, a lot of people avoided me. They thought that I was 'too stupid' to speak to, so they didn't want to 'waste their breath' by talking to me. I wasn't stupid though, Quinn and Sam always reminded me of that. In all honesty, it hurt knowing that people were avoiding me because they thought I was stupid, but I didn't really care that much because they weren't my friends. If Sam or Quinn had decided to ignore me then I would have been upset, but the two of them stuck by me so I was okay.

It was at the age of thirteen that my mother began to get angry at me. She told me that I wasn't doing well enough in school and I had to try harder, even though I was doing the best that I possibly could. I think my father would have been angry too, but he was really sick. He had cancer. At first, I was pretty sure that he couldn't have cancer because he was a Sagittarius, but Quinn explained that cancer was also a very serious illness. After my father was diagnosed, he stayed in his room most of the time and I didn't get to see him much because he was usually sleeping.

Despite the difficulties I had with school, one thing my parents never called me was 'stupid'. The word wasn't allowed in the house. If me or Courtney were caught using it, we'd get grounded. If my parents used it, they had to put money in a jar as punishment.

On my fourteenth birthday, it all changed.

On my fourteenth birthday, my mother got angry at me. I didn't do anything wrong, I was talking to my sister when she finally snapped at me. My mother is not a bad person, she's like a giant cuddly teddy bear. She's soft and cuddly, but sometimes she can get very angry and frustrated. She interrupted the conversation I was having with my sister and told me to shut up because I was stupid.

It hurt me inside.

I was used to being told to shut up. I was used to being called stupid. What I wasn't used to was hearing the words come out of my mother's mouth. My mother. The woman who was meant to love and support me. I was shocked when I heard her say it. I didn't know what to do. In the end, I decided to do what she had ordered. I stopped talking.

I thought it was a good idea at the time. Not talking was actually really fun, it was like a giant game of charades. Throughout the day, Courtney and I had so much fun with it. I would act things out and she would try to guess what I was wanting to say. It was hard to play the game with her though because she was only seven at the time. In the end, I wrote what I wanted to say on paper and Courtney would read it, if she couldn't read it, she'd find someone else to.

The next day, I still wasn't talking. I decided that I was going to remain silent for as long as possible to see how long I could last. Courtney thought I could last another day and my mother thought I would only last for another hour or so. I was determined to prove them all wrong.

I was on my fourth day of not talking when disaster struck.

My father died.

I stood in his bedroom, staring at his lifeless body as I waited for the ambulance to come. My mother was kneeling next to his bedside crying and Courtney was standing next to me, holding my hand tightly. I opened my mouth to speak, but nothing came out. I wanted to be there to comfort my sister. I wanted to scream. I wanted to cry. I wanted to run away and pretend that none of it was happening, but I couldn't. There was only one thought running through my mind: I didn't even get to say goodbye to him.

I was so caught up in my game of not speaking, that I didn't get to tell my father that I loved him. I'm sure that automatically made me the worst daughter ever.

From then on, everything was different. My mother tried to act as if everything was okay, but I could see that she was suffering and at night I would hear her cry. Courtney was quieter than usual and stayed in her room almost everyday. She only came out when she needed to eat or use the bathroom, but even then she didn't speak much. I gave up the game of not talking, but I still couldn't say anything. Whenever I opened my mouth to say something, nothing came out. I think it was because I was still in shock over my father's death. I wasn't ready to deal with the fact that he had died, so I lived in my own little world, not talking to anyone and trying to escape from everything that had happened.

It worked for a while.

Eventually, Quinn and Sam were able to break through to me. I was surprised they were still my friends as I had ignored them for a whole month. I began talking to them again, at first it was only a couple of sentences, but after a few weeks I began to have normal conversations with them. We never spoke about my father though, that topic was off limits.

I began talking to Courtney and Lord Tubbington a few days after. I knew that my little sister was hurting just as much as I was, and I knew that it was my job to be there for her. She needed me. Even though she was only seven, Courtney felt as if she had to act strong for our family. She pretended as if she was okay, but I think everyone could see that she was suffering. She refused to talk about our father and I respected her wishes, so we always spoke about other things. At night, she'd always sneak through to my room and lie in my bed with me and we'd tell Lord Tubbington our secrets.

From then on, I never spoke to anyone else. Not even my mother. At first, she was angry about it, but then she began to accept it. I don't know why she did, but I was glad that she understood that I didn't feel ready to speak to her. I still loved her and I wanted to speak to her, but every time I opened my mouth to say something, nothing came out.

At school, I didn't bother talking to anyone other than Sam and Quinn because they were the only people I needed. I didn't want to speak to the other kids because I didn't trust them and I didn't feel comfortable around them. It was like they weren't important enough. I realised that by not talking to the other kids at school, they didn't pick on me as much. In a way, everything was working in my favour.

It doesn't bother me that I don't talk to many people. I know it bothers my mother, Sam, Quinn and Courtney, but I don't see why it does. I know I can talk to people, I'm just scared to. I've gone without talking for three years and I'm scared to start again. I don't trust people as much as I trust Quinn, Sam and Courtney, that's why I don't talk to them.

I wish I would find someone who could change that. I wish I could find someone who didn't make me feel so scared. I wish I could find someone who I wanted to talk to, but so far, I haven't found that person.

Every day is a new day though, and you never know who you're going to meet. So for just now, I'll keep on wishing.


	2. School

I hate school. It is honestly the worst place in the world. It's not because people make fun of me there or talk about me behind my back, it's because that happens to everyone. I just don't get it. You're meant to go to school to get and education, not to talk and bitch about people behind their backs.

Walking into school, I keep my head down, avoiding everyone in my way. Sam and Quinn aren't here yet, so I'm on my own for a while, not that I mind too much. It's just that when they're not with me, I'm at my weakest and people take advantage of that. I make it to my locker without drawing attention to myself and I quickly shove my books into it, leaving out the only one I need for my first class.

"Hey Brittany!" I close my locker and look over my shoulder to see Quinn walking quickly towards me. "I'm sorry I'm late!" She apologises as she pulls me into a hug. "My car wouldn't start, so I called Sam for a ride, but he had already left. Luckily, Rachel passed me on the way to school and offered me a ride."

I nod my head, indicating that I understand and accept her apology and link my arm through hers. It's the first day back after summer, but no one seems to have forgotten the rules. The crowds of people part for us as Quinn pulls me along with her. She's head cheerleader and I'm second in command. I know I'm only that because Quinn forced Coach Sue to give me it, I'm not going to complain about it though.

"How was your summer?" She asks as we stop in front of our first class. This year I've been lucky, I have either Sam or Quinn in all my classes, except for art. It doesn't bother me though because in art, the class is pretty much silent anyway and everyone who takes it is so down to earth. I know they won't make fun of me.

"It was good." I answer, pressing my body into hers as I whisper my answer into her ear so that no one else hears. It looks stupid, I know that and so does Quinn, but neither of us care. "How was yours?"

"It was great!" She smiles widely as we walk into the classroom. We're five minutes early, so not everyone is here yet. There are only a few people who are sitting at the front. I follow Quinn to the back of the room and I take my seat in the corner. "London was so beautiful, it rained a lot though."

For most of the summer, Quinn had been in London with her family. All of her family loved to travel so every time we had a break from school, they'd try to go somewhere different. "I got you a present too, it's in my locker."

I see the sparkle in her eyes and I know she's excited about giving me my present. I love Quinn, she's so kind and caring. She always puts thought into everything that she does. A lot of people think she's a bitch, but she's not.

"Thanks." The class still hasn't filled up and the other students are at the front having a conversation between themselves, I know they can't hear me so I don't mind speaking to Quinn. When the class fills up, I'll stop.

"It's okay, I know you're going to love it." At that, the bell rings and the class begins to fill up. I reach down into my backpack and pull out my pad of paper and pen, preparing myself for the lesson.

"So, what did you do this summer?" The class hasn't started yet and Quinn is trying to make conversation with me. Now that the class is filled up, I'm paranoid people are going to try and listen to me speak, so I pick up my pen and go to write on my notebook. Quinn sees what I'm about to do and takes the notebook from me. "Brittany, speak to me."

"No!" I mouth as I shake my head from side to side. I know what she's trying to do, she trying to get me to speak. Both her and Sam have tried this before, they claim they're helping me.

"Yes." Quinn replies firmly, placing her hand on my arm in an attempt to relax me. It works a little bit. "What did you do this summer, Brittany?"

"Nothing." I whisper in defeat. I lean over so that she can hear me better, but she pulls away from me. I know she wants me to speak louder, it's what she'll tell me to do.

"I can't hear you." She states, pretending as if she didn't pull away from me. "Can you speak louder?" I glance around the class. The teacher isn't in the room and everyone seems to be engrossed in their own conversations. "Just a little bit louder sweetie." Quinn must have noticed me checking around the room, making sure that no one was listening in.

"Nothing." I say a tiny bit louder and Quinn smiles in satisfaction. She says that we're taking little steps to overcome my fear. I don't fully understand what she means by this, but I trust her enough not to question it. I know her intentions are good.

"You didn't anything?" She raises one perfectly arched eyebrow at me, challenging my answer. "So you spent everyday doing nothing?"

Of course I spent my summer doing things. I only answered nothing because it was the easiest way to answer. "No." I shake my head again, indicating that I did do something this summer. I did a lot of things, actually.

"What did you do?" She presses further. I see the smile on her face and I can tell she's proud of me. I like making her proud of me because when she's proud, she smiles and she has a beautiful smile.

"Looked after Courtney." I breath out as I search around the room once again and that's when I see it. There's a group sitting in the row in front of Quinn and I. They're not speaking and they have their bodies turned in our direction. They were trying to listen in.

Quinn notices what has happened and she tenses up. She's angry. We were making progress and then they ruined it. She clenches her fists and slams them down onto the table, causing the group in front to look at her. "Mind your own business or I'll make sure you receive slushy facials for the week!" She threatens them, causing most of the class to quieten down to see what's going on. "Are we clear?"

"Sorry." One of the girls in the group mumble and the rest nod in agreement. Anyone can tell that they're scared of Quinn right now, and I don't blame them. She can be pretty scary when she's angry or when she's protecting me.

"I don't want an apology!" Quinn spits venomously at them. "I asked you all a question, now answer it!"

"Y-Yes, w-we're clear." The girl stutters, her cheeks turning red. "Sorry."

"I'm glad it's settled." Quinn smirks before relaxing back into her seat. Her smirk stays in place until everyone in the room goes back to doing their own thing. When she's sure no one is paying attention to us any more, she turns to me and hugs me. "I'm so sorry, B!" She exclaims as she holds me tightly. "I didn't think anyone was listening in!"

It's not Quinn's fault. She and I both know that. I nod my head and pull away from her. All the confidence I had whilst I was talking to Quinn has been shattered now. I was speaking so quietly that I doubt the group in front even heard me, but it's the fear that they could have heard me.

Quinn and I don't speak for the rest of the lesson.

* * *

The bell rings and class is over. Quinn and I take our time gathering up our stuff and we leave the classroom last, I don't know why we do it, but we always do. I think it's because it's supposed to make us feel more powerful. If we leave the class last, it means that there are more peoplein the hallways to move out of our way. I suppose that makes sense.

"You have art now, right?" Quinn asks me as she links her arm through mine. It always amazes me how fast she can memorise my timetable, I just got it this morning! I take the piece of paper out of my Cheerios jacket and look down at it.

I nod my head in reply and Quinn smiles, happy with herself that she was able to guess my class correctly. I tilt my head to the side and raise my eyebrows at her (I can't do one like she can) and wait for her to answer my silent question.

"I have English." She answers and I frown at her in response because that's on the complete opposite side of the school from the art classrooms. "I know it's on the opposite side of the school, but I'll make it in time, don't worry."

We make it to the classroom with a few minutes to spare. I peer in and see that there are still plenty of seats left before turning back to Quinn. "Stay here after class, Sam has history and he's going to come and collect you and take you to your next class. The two of you have maths, okay?"

I smile and nod gratefully because honestly, I don't know what I'd do without the two of them. Sam and Quinn have stuck by my side throughout everything and I can't thank them enough for that. They've never once made me feel bad about myself and they're always there to make sure I'm okay. They're like fairy god parents.

"Great!" Quinn clasps her hands together. "I need to go now or I'll be late. After maths you have biology and Sam is in your class. I'll see you both at lunch." At that, she turns on her heels and power walks through the hallways to get to her class on time.

When Quinn disappears out of my sight, I turn and walk into the classroom. The seats are in rows of two and I see that the one right at the back is empty. Perfect. I adjust the backpack on my shoulder and begin to walk up the aisle.

"Hey, Brittany!" Someone calls. I look to my left to see Mercedes smiling and waving at me. She's Sam's girlfriend so I see her everyday. She's really nice and a really good singer, she talks a lot though and likes to gossip. "Did you have good summer?"

I nod my head and smile at her before walking to the back of the class. Sometimes, I feel as if that's all I ever do at school. Nod my head and smile. It's routine. I take my seat and take out the sketchpad we had been instructed to buy for this class and wait for the class to start. I feel my phone vibrate in my pocket and I decide to look at it since the teacher hasn't entered the class yet.

**Incoming from Quinn: 'Hey, I heard Mercedes is in your art class. It puts my mind at rest knowing that you have a familiar face in there! See you at lunch :) xox'**

I frown at the text and wonder how Quinn knows Mercedes is in my class. I had just walked into the class, surely Mercedes couldn't have text Quinn already? I wasn't even sure they had each other's numbers... I shake the thoughts from my head and check the next text I have.

**Incoming from Sam: 'Mercedes text me saying you were in her art class so I text Quinn to let her know. Remember to wait outside your class and I'll come and get you :) xx'**

So I guess Mercedes had text someone already. I didn't even know people could text that fast. Now that the mystery was solved, I stopped thinking about it and began to write my replies to my friends.

**Sending to Quinn: I was going to be fine anyway :P See you later :) xox'**

**Sending to Sam: 'Word travels fast! Don't worry, I'll wait outside :) xx'**

Just as I send the texts, the teacher walks in to start the class, so I put my phone away. He begins to explain what we'll be doing this year and I quickly grow bored and begin to look around the class. I notice that every seat is filled except for the one next to me. I'm happy about that because I like having my space. I also love art and I want no distractions whatsoever. By sitting on my own, I doubt I'll get any. Unless Quinn or Sam text me to see how I'm doing.

"Now, as you only have half of the lesson left. I want you to start drawing something that is important to you." The teacher instructed as he began to write it down on the board at the same time. That was a good thing, because then people wouldn't forget what he said. "It can be anything you want. I can be an object, a person or a piece of scenery. It can be anything you want. This project begins now and will finish in two weeks."

As people talk amongst themselves, deciding on what they're going to do, I go straight to work. I pull my wallet out of my backpack and I take out the picture that I keep in it. It's of me, Sam and Quinn. It was taken the day we started high school. That's what I'm going to draw.

As I begin to roughly sketch the outline of our three bodies, I smile to myself. Maybe school won't be so bad this year.

* * *

**I hope you're enjoying this so far! Santana will be introduced in the next update and then from there on, there will be a lot of interaction between her and Brittany. **

**Reviews and alerts would be great :)**


	3. Santana

I can't begin to explain how much I love art, it's my favourite subject at school and it's also one of my favourite things to do in my free time. I love all kinds of expressive arts such as drawing, dancing, singing and writing. Dancing is my absolute favourite though. When I hear the music and I feel my body begin to move, it's like I become complete and I'm dancing everything that I want to be able to say.

I'm sitting in my art class now. It's the second day of school and everything seems to be going well. Sam walked me to this class this morning before he ran off to his own class that was on the other side of the school. I think that Mercedes was a little bit angry because he didn't say good morning to her, but he was running really late. Just as I took my seat, Mr Zitkus walked in and started the class and we all immediately started to continue on with our drawings.

That all happened thirty minutes ago. Right now, I'm concentrating on drawing Quinn's eyes. She has nice eyes, they're big and round, like a cartoon character's, and they're the prettiest shade of hazel that I have ever seen. Sometimes, I wish that my eyes were like hers because they are so beautiful, but Quinn always says she wishes she had my eyes. I don't know why though, I think she says it to make me feel good about myself. She always does things like that.

The door swings wide open, disrupting everyone from their work. I hear people around me shift in their seats and they begin whispering to one another. I sigh to myself and hope that the distraction goes away soon because I want to get on with my work in silence. It doesn't stop and I reluctantly lift my gaze from my drawing to the front of the class, and that's when I see her.

She's beautiful. Her dark brown hair cascades down her back, curling around her face. She's shorter than I am and I guess that if we were standing next to each other, she would just come up past my shoulders. My gaze travels towards her face and I realise that she is staring directly at me. I want to break the contact and look away, but I can't. Her eyes are dark brown and look so captivating and inviting that I feel as if I'm frozen and can't look away.

"Miss Lopez." Mr Zitkus' voice brings me back to reality and for once, I'm thankful of that. Lopez... it's a nice surname, and I start to wonder what her first name is. "Please take a seat next to Miss Pierce, it's the only free one in the room."

She begins to stride confidently up the aisle towards me and I feel my heartbeat increase rapidly. I can't believe she's going to be sitting next to me! I wanted no distractions this year and yet, the prettiest girl I have ever seen is about to sit next to me.

That's when it hits me. What if she tries to talk to me? If she does and realises that I don't talk, she's going to think I'm a freak. She'll never want to be my friend. I suppose I should be used to it though. No one ever wants to be friends with a freak.

The girl takes a seat, letting out a small sigh as she does so. She moves to get something out of her bag and her arm brushes against mine, making it feel funny in a good way. It scares me a little bit though because even though it feels nice, I've never felt anything like it before. I decide that we're sitting too close to one another so I subtly move my chair away. She's still looking for something in her bag, so I don't think she notices me moving which is a good thing because I didn't want to offend her, I just didn't want to sit so close.

"I need to go and collect a few things from another classroom, I'll be back in ten minutes." Mr Zitkus announces before exiting the classroom. As soon as he's gone, the class erupts into conversation. I sit quietly and try to keep concentrating on my drawing, I really want to get Quinn's eye right.

"I'm Santana." The voice comes from the left of me and I turn my head to see the new girl looking at me with a shy smile on her face. It takes me by surprise that she seems so shy, because she wasn't like this when she walked in. When she walked in she seemed so confident and powerful, I can't help but wonder what has made her change.

I notice that she's waiting for a reply from me so I search around my desk for a bit of spare paper to write on. I bang my fist against the table softly when I realise that I haven't got my spare pad of paper with me to write on. I look towards the girl, well Santana, and smile at her instead, hoping that it's enough.

"Okay..." She breaths out when she gets no verbal reply from me. Her eyebrows are scrunched close together and I can tell that she's a little confused to why I didn't introduce myself to her, a lot of people act like that at first.

"Can you tell me what I'm supposed to be doing in this class?" She asks, tilting her head to the side a little bit for added effect.

I begin to panic, so much so that I can feel my heartbeat increase once again. She's doing her best to try and talk to me and yet, I'm sitting here not responding to her. I gesture towards my drawing, hoping that she understands what we're supposed to be doing. She doesn't get it.

"I don't understand." She speaks again, but this time I can hear the frustration in her voice. It scares me a little bit. I don't know why it does though, because I'm used to it because this has happened before around other people. They talk to me, I don't talk back and it frustrates them. "Will you just speak?"

I shake my head at her, indicating that my answer is no and she sighs loudly. I suppose I would have done this same if I was in her position right now. If I was trying to speak to someone who wouldn't speak to me, I'd get frustrated too.

"Can you speak?" She asks as she turns in her chair so that her whole body is facing me, crossing her arms over her chest as she does so.

I nod my head in reply, I don't want to lie to her.

"So you're choosing not to speak to me?" Her voice has gone quieter and I think she's upset. It's all my fault! I go to shake my head so that she knows I'm not choosing to ignore her, but that would be lying because I am. I'm not speaking to her even though I can speak. It's my choice.

In the end, I shrug my shoulders in defeat. Everything is so confusing and right now, I wish Quinn or Sam were here with me so that they could explain to Santana that I'm not ignoring her to be mean, but I'm doing it because I'm scared.

"Do you know what?" She snaps as she slams her hand down onto the table. The class is still talking amongst themselves so no one notices her sudden outburst. "Just forget that I even began speaking to you! Clearly it was a mistake."

I watch helplessly as she turns back in her seat, pretending as if I'm not there any more. She takes her phone out of her pocket and begins tapping away on it. She's probably texting someone, telling them about how she has to sit next to a freak. I know that it shouldn't hurt me, it's happened so many times before that I've become used to it, but for some strange reason it does.

The class is almost over and I've made no progress on Quinn's eye. When Mr Zitkus came back into the class, he explained to Santana what she was meant to be doing. I'm glad he did that because she seemed pretty confused when everyone began to draw again and she sat there with nothing in front of her. When she began to draw, I quickly glanced over at her work. She wasn't far into it and because of that I didn't know what she was drawing, but it looked good. She was good at drawing, she had a steady hand and took her time. I was impressed.

Throughout the lesson, I kept stealing glances at her work. I wanted to finish Quinn's eye, but I couldn't because her drawing was distracting me. I noticed that as she drew, her tongue stuck out at the corner of her mouth, it was one of the cutest things I had ever seen. She was concentrating so much that I don't think she noticed me staring at her, which is a good thing because I don't think she'd be happy that I was.

The bell rings and I gather my stuff to leave. I pack up quickly as I want to get out of here as fast as I can, but then I remember Quinn's rule. I have to leave last. I look around the classroom and notice that the only people left in here are Mr Zitkus, Santana and I. She's looking down at her timetable and map, probably trying to find out where to go next.

Suddenly, she looks up from the paper in her hands and catches me staring at her. A smirk appears on her face and I gulp nervously. Smirks are never a good thing. "Any reason to why you're staring?" She takes a step closer to me, closing most of the distance between us.

I shake my head frantically and glance towards the door, hoping that Sam would enter to come and take me to my next class. He's waiting outside, I know he is because I can hear his voice. He's talking to Mercedes.

"Really? That's funny because I know you've been staring at me for the whole lesson." Shit. She did notice. She probably thinks I'm the biggest freak ever now, although she probably thought that when she found out that I don't talk.

The palms of my hands begin to get sweaty and I wipe them on my Cheerios skirt. Santana's voice isn't as soft and gentle as it was when she first started talking to me at the beginning of the lesson, and it's not even like the voice she had when she began to get angry at me for not talking. She's confident again and the bitter and menacing edge to her voice is highly noticeable. It's scary.

"It's okay though," She speaks again, her smirk still in place. "I don't mind that you're staring. I'm hot. I get it." Her statement makes my cheeks go warm and I can tell that I'm blushing. Santana must have noticed too because she begins to laugh. "I know you want me, Pierce. Many people do, but lets think about this for a moment, you're a freak who doesn't talk. I don't want to spend my time with you."

As I process her words, she turns on her heels and walks out the classroom. Her words shouldn't hurt. I'm used to them from other people, but they do. They hurt more than ever and I don't know why. I don't even know Santana, but I want to. I want to get to know her, I really do, but I can't. I sigh and begin to trudge out of the class, I need to get her out of my head because she thinks I'm a freak now which means I have no chance of being her friend let alone anything else.

When I get outside the classroom, the hallways are empty and Sam isn't waiting for me. I hadn't even noticed the bell had gone. I can't be bothered going to my next class, so I make my way towards the field where we practice cheerleading. No one will be there as they're all in class and it means that I'll have some time to myself, the idea seems perfect.

* * *

"Brittany!" Sam calls as I walk into the cafeteria. It's lunch now and I've been avoiding Quinn and Sam up until now. It's not that I don't want them to know what happened in art today, I just wanted some time to myself.

"Where have you been, Brittany?" Quinn asks as soon as I sit down at our usual table. She scoots away from Rachel and brings her chair next to me, sitting as close as she possibly can. "Is everything okay?"

I nod my head and look around the table. Mike, Tina and Artie are all engrossed in a conversation together, Sam and Mercedes are arranging a date for tonight and Rachel is talking to Sugar and Rory. I know that none of them are trying to listen in on Quinn and I's conversation, they respect and understand us.

"Everything is fine." I whisper quietly into her ear. I know I don't have to whisper in her ear, but I'm used to it, it's routine.

"Where have you been?" She questions as she places her hand on my knee, squeezing it slightly. I know she's been worried about me. "Sam said he didn't see you come out of art, did he get there late?"

"No. I stayed behind and by the time I got out, the bell had gone and Sam had left for his class." I explain, missing out the part with Santana completely. I know that if I tell Quinn what happened and what she said, she'll get really angry and I don't want that.

"Where did you go after that?" She presses further, annoying me a little bit. I know she's looking out for me and has my best intentions at heart, but sometimes I feel as if she treats me like a baby. "Sam said you didn't show up for maths."

"I went out to the field to clear my head." I answer, hoping she notices that I want to stop this conversation. I look around the table again, everyone is busy and not paying attention to Quinn and I. "Don't worry."

"Why did you have to clear your head? Did something happen in art?" She's worrying now, her voice has gone higher and it catches the attention of Sam, Rachel and Mercedes. They all look at Quinn and then to me, and I sink down in my chair, wishing they'd stop watching me. "Sorry." Quinn slaps her forehead, embarrassed at her mistake.

I shrug in response. I'm not mad at her. I don't think I could ever be mad at Quinn. She does so much for me that I think it's impossible not to like her. Even though Rachel, Sam and Mercedes have gone back to their conversations, I can tell they're listening in. I don't think they're doing it on purpose, but they're worried about me and wants to know what's going on. Quinn is aware that they're listening in too, so she pulls out her notepad and pen and gives them to me.

_**'Art was just... stressful. I don't want to talk about it.'**_

Quinn frowns at my response as she reads it and then looks up at me. "You're okay though, right?"

_**'Yeah, I'm fine. I just needed to clear my head.'**_

"I want to know what happened, Brittany." She speaks quietly so that no one catches drifts of our conversation and realises that something is wrong. "Please tell me what happened."

_**'It's too complicated and long to write down. I'll tell you later, I promise. Now go and sit back next to your girlfriend, she keeps looking over at us, she misses you.'**_

Quinn laughs at what I've written, but moves her chair so that she's sitting next to Rachel once again. She takes the brunette's hand in hers and kisses her cheek.

I suppose you could say that Quinn and Rachel's relationship is the weirdest relationship at this school. Quinn is the head cheerleader who rules the school and Rachel is the self-elected leader of the glee club. Quinn, Sam and I are all in glee club. Coach Sue made Quinn and I join and Sam came along because he didn't want to feel left out. At first, we thought we were going to hate it, but we actually started to enjoy it. Sam and Quinn usually sing whilst I dance. That's how Rachel and Quinn met. At first, they got off to a rocky start, but after a couple of months, they grew closer and eventually got together. The same happened to Sam and Mercedes. That's why we sit with the glee club at lunch because even though we're popular, the glee club members are the people we consider our friends and our loved ones.

I guess I have to thank Rachel and Mercedes because even though Quinn and Sam date them, they still make time for me. The two girls understand the bond that I have with Quinn and Sam and they don't question it or hate it. Rachel doesn't even mind when Quinn kisses my cheek or holds my hand.

"I saw the new girl today, she's in my physics class." Tina states and my attention instantly turns to her because she's talking about Santana. "Have any of you saw her yet?"

"I didn't even know there was a new girl." Quinn shrugs, uninterested in the subject.

"I have heard about her!" Rachel says enthusiastically. "Maybe we can get her to join glee club!"

"I'm with Quinn." Sam answers, ignoring Rachel's comment about glee club. All of us know that glee club isn't cool and we all wish that Rachel would stop trying to recruit every new person. "I didn't even know there was a new girl."

"Sam, how did you not know?" Mercedes demands as she rolls her eyes. "I told you this morning that she's in my art class! Were you not listening? I told you that she sits next to Brittany!" Sam blushes, giving himself away which earns a sigh from Mercedes. You can't really blame Sam for not listening though because Mercedes talks a lot. "Look, she's over there."

Everyone's gaze follows to where Mercedes is pointing and it lands on Santana. She's sitting at a table with all of the other jocks and cheerleaders and I wonder how she got there because she isn't on the squad. Just as I'm about to look away, she looks up and catches my stare. She smirks at me and raises one perfectly arched eyebrow. I bow my head and feel my cheeks heat up for the second time in the same day. I hear Quinn gasp and I know she's figured it out.

"It's complicated because of her, isn't it?"

I nod my head.

* * *

**Sorry for the wait for this... I've had most of this update written since Wednesday, but I've been so busy with school and everything. I only have a week left though! I hope you like the update, I know Santana seems like a bitch, but I promise it won't be like that for long! **

**Thank you to everyone who alerted and reviewed, it means a lot! **

**nayalove: Thank you! I'm glad you like it :) How do you feel about Santana now that she's introduced?**

**cord: Thank you! :)**

**emciegie: Thank you, I hope that update was quick enough haha :)**

**Pridemunkeyz: 'Those people are MONSTERS (And not of the Lady Gaga variety.' This made me laugh so much and I don't even kno why! Ugh, I love it so much though! It has actually made my day! Okay, so she sort of is a monster right now, but I promise it won't always be like that! :D**

**Please review and alert! Feedback would be great :)**


	4. Best Friends Stick Together

"Hey Britt!" Quinn greets as she walks into my room. It's the weekend and Quinn has come over to tutor me so that I don't fall behind in any of my classes. She doesn't need to tutor me because I'm actually quite smart and there's only some things that I don't understand, but she's doing it so that there is absolutely no chance that I'll fail anything this year.

"Hey Quinn!" I reply with a smile as I close my laptop and place it to the side of me. I jump off my bed and skip over to where Quinn is and wrap my arms around her. "How are you?"

"I'm very good, thank you." She answers as she sets her bag down on the floor and then takes a seat at my desk. "Rachel and I are going out for dinner later, will you help me get ready after we've finished studying?"

"Of course I will!" I nod my head enthusiastically. I love helping Quinn get ready for her dates with Rachel. She always gets really nervous before them and I find it funny because there's nothing to be nervous about. Sam always gets nervous too and I don't understand why they do. I think it's because I've never been out on a date with a boy or a girl, so I don't know what it feels like.

"Great!" Quinn chuckles at my reaction. "How are you today?"

"Good." I take my seat back on my bed, crossing my legs as I do so.

"That's good to hear." She comments. "Have you spoken to your sister today?"

I don't say anything, I just shake my head and look down at my hands. I know that Quinn will be disappointed that I haven't spoken to her today. I hear the chair that Quinn is sitting on scrape across the wooden floor and before I know it, she is sitting next to me on my bed.

"Why haven't you spoken to her?" She asks carefully, reaching out and taking my hand in hers, stroking it gently. "Britt, look at me please."

Reluctantly I look up to find Quinn staring at me with her sympathetic gaze, it's something I've become used to. I shrug my shoulders in reply to her question because I don't know why I haven't spoken to my sister today, I just haven't felt like it.

"Is everything okay, Brittany?" She enquires as she shuffles closer to me. "You've been a little distant lately, especially at school. Is there something that you're not telling me?"

I freeze for a moment as I think about how I'm going to reply to her questions. Everything wasn't okay and there was something I was hiding from her. The problem wasn't even that big, but it was making me upset. I didn't want to bother Quinn with it though because I know that if I tell her, she'll worry about me.

"Everything is fine." I lie as convincingly as I can. I don't like lying and it's not something I ever do unless I feel that I have to. I just don't want Quinn to worry about me.

"You're lying." Quinn sings as she bumps my shoulder playfully. "Tell me what's going on."

I take a deep breath as I think about what I'm going to say. The problem is Santana. We've only been at school for two weeks, but somehow she's already gotten popular. I don't mind that she has, I'm happy that she has friends, but she's began to hang out with the other cheerleaders and football players. She now acts as if she runs the school and she doesn't. If anyone were to run the school, it would be Quinn because even though she can be scary at times, everyone admires and respects her.

Now that Santana has become popular, she's began to tease and make fun of me like other people do. She's sneaky about it though and only teases me in art class because she knows that if she does it in any other class Quinn or Sam would see. Santana is in three of my classes. She's in my art class, Spanish class and biology class. Luckily, she doesn't sit near me in Spanish or biology so she has no reason to talk to me.

It upsets me that Santana teases me, but that doesn't surprise me because I get upset whenever anyone teases me. I just thought Santana would maybe be different. When she walked into art class on her first day, I thought that maybe we could be friends. Now I realise that I'll probably never be friends with her because she's a bully and I don't want to be friends with a bully. Maybe if she was nicer then I could be friends with her, but I don't think that will happen.

"It's Santana." I sigh as I lay down on my bed, resting my head against Quinn's legs.

"Santana?" She repeats. "The new girl?"

I nod my head in conformation, letting her know that she's thinking about the right Santana. I don't even think that there is another Santana in the school so I don't really understand why Quinn asked if she was the new one.

"I knew she was trouble!" Quinn hissed angrily. "What has she done?"

"The usual."

'The usual' consists of what everyone in school usually does or says. Along with other people, Santana has been calling me names, making jokes about me and tearing me down whenever she gets the chance to.

I hear Quinn growl in response, I can tell that she's pissed off. She's probably blaming herself for not noticing that something was wrong sooner, but it wasn't her fault. If I wanted her to know, then I would have told her earlier.

"Why didn't you tell me?" She asks as she begins to run her fingers through my hair. I think she's doing it to calm herself down.

"I don't know." I mumble honestly. I really don't know why I never told Quinn about Santana. I know that I didn't want her to worry about me, but that's no excuse. I always tell Quinn about everyone who teases me. I think that I never told her because I wanted to protect Santana. "I didn't want her to get into trouble."

"Why not? She's a bully, Brittany!" She reminds me. "She deserves to get into trouble. I swear, the next time I see her I'm going to say something."

I know that there is no point in arguing with Quinn, so I just keep quiet. I don't know what she'll say to Santana the next time she sees her at school, but I have a feeling she'll threaten to ruin her reputation or something. I don't think she'll slushy Santana since she's still quite new to the school, so that's good because I don't think Santana would like to be slushied.

"Brittany," Quinn finally says, breaking the silence between us. "I think we need to start putting in more work to get you to talk to other people."

"Why?" I question in confusion. "I thought you said I was doing well?"

"You are, but people are still walking all over you, it's ridiculous!" She cries out in frustration. I lift my head up from Quinn's legs and move away from her, I don't like it when she gets angry.

"I can't help it, Quinn." I state quietly. "Stop shouting at me, please."

"I'm sorry." She sighs in response, offering me an apologetic smile. "I'm just angry." She explains further. "Santana shouldn't be bullying you. She's not even been at school for a month and yet she thinks she runs the school, it's ridiculous!"

"It's okay, I'm used to it." I shrug, brushing it off. The bullying and teasing is something that I'm used to, of course it hurts but I just do my best to ignore it all. It's easier that way.

"I know you are, but you shouldn't have to put up with the shit!" She's still shouting at me and it's beginning to annoy me. I understand that she's angry, but she's angry at Santana and not me so I don't see why she's shouting at me.

"You shouldn't worry so much!"

"I'm your best friend, it's my job to worry!"

"I know you are, but you have your own problems to deal with." Don't get me wrong, I love that Sam and Quinn both look out for me and worry about me, but sometimes I feel guilty about it because they have their own lives to live and they shouldn't have to keep looking out for me.

"If I don't look after you then who will?" She challenges as she raises her eyebrow. We both know that I can't answer because the truth is that if Quinn didn't look out for me then no one would. She and Sam are the only two people who have the courage to stand up for me.

"Quinn, stop." I plead helplessly in defeat. "You're making me sound like a baby who needs to be taken care of constantly. I don't like it."

"Well you do need to be taken care of!" She argues back. "People will walk all over you otherwise."

"Quinn, stop." I demand again, I try to keep my voice firm and strong but I fail. I don't like arguing with people. "You're making me upset."

"No Brittany, you need to hear this." Quinn shakes her head in disagreement. "You need to gain the courage to start speaking to other people again."

"I'm trying!" I know that I'm whining like a child, but I don't care any more. "I'm doing the best that I can!" Quinn knows that I'm doing the best that I can, and it makes me angry that she's acting as if I'm not. She doesn't understand how scary it is for me. She'll never understand, no matter how hard she tries.

"I know you are sweetie, but I don't think it's enough." Her voice goes back to being sweet, soft and gentle and it makes me relax a little bit. Quinn has that affect on me, she has that affect on everyone. "I just thought that maybe Sam and I could fix you enough so that you could at least talk to your mother. It's been so long an-"

"I don't need fixed!" I hiss, interrupting her. "I'm not broken!"

"I didn't mean it like that!" Quinn says quickly. I can tell by the tone of her voice that she is sorry for what she had said, but it still doesn't make me feel any better. I can't believe that she thought I needed fixed. She and Sam had been the only two people who had never said that before, and now she had. "I think that maybe you need to go and see a professional, Britt."

'Professional' rings in my ear and I automatically switch off. I don't want to go to a professional. I'm not broken and I don't need help. My mother has tried to make me go to a professional before, but I refused and locked myself in my room. This was going to me no different, I wasn't going to go to a professional.

"I think you should leave." I say, breaking the silence between us. My voice has a cold edge to it, something it never has, and it freaks me out a little bit.

"Brittany..."

"Leave." I repeat.

"Plea-"

"I said leave."

I don't even bother to look at Quinn because right now, I don't want to see her. I feel like I've been betrayed by her. I hear the door to my bedroom shut and as soon as it does, I grab my pillow and hug it to my chest tightly. Tears roll down my cheeks, but I don't bother trying to wipe them away.

My phone vibrates on my night stand and I know that it will be Sam. Quinn will have already texted and told him about our argument, he'll be checking up on me. I don't answer it though, because right now I want to be alone.

* * *

I'm standing at my locker waiting for Quinn and Sam to come and get me, both of them are running late today. Sam has early morning football practice and Quinn has to help Rachel out with something for glee club. At first, Quinn didn't want to leave me, but I told her to go and help Rachel because Rachel was her girlfriend and she has to spend time with her too. I know that Rachel understands that Quinn has to spend a lot of time with me, but sometimes I do feel guilty about it because Rachel deserves to spend time with her too. I also feel the same way about Sam and Mercedes because I know that because of me, Mercedes doesn't see as much as Sam as she would like to, but she doesn't complain about it.

Even though Quinn and I haven't spoken about what happened in my bedroom, we're acting as if everything is normal at school. It's easier that way for both of us. Besides, I'm not even that angry at her any more. It's hard to stay angry at Quinn because she's such a nice person but she does need to learn that I'm not broken and I'm definitely not going to a professional.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see someone lean on the locker next to mine. I don't get a good look of who it is, because my locker is open and the door is in the way blocking them, but I have a feeling that it's Quinn because her locker is next to mine. I don't bother to check to see if it is her, I just continue to sort my books out. She hasn't said anything to me yet and that worries me because whenever I'm with Quinn, she always asks how I'm feeling.

Suddenly, my locker door is slammed shut, making me jump in shock. Before I can even turn around to see what's going on, someone grabs my shoulders tightly, and roughly spins me around, slamming my back against my own locker. I bite down on my lower lip to stop me from screaming out in pain. My head is throbbing from being hit and my back is sore, all I want is for Quinn and Sam to come and save me.

I open my eyes to find myself face to face with Noah Puckerman. His face is so close to mine that I can smell his breath, he definitely didn't brush his teeth this morning. Behind him on his left side is David Karofsky and on his right side is Finn Hudson, they're like his wingmen. I know what they're all here for and it makes me nervous. I can't give them what they want. They want answers, but I don't have those answers and even if I did, I wouldn't be able to vocalise them.

"WHERE IS SHE?" Puck screams in my face, slamming his fists on either side of me. I flinch when his fists come into contact with the metal and I blink repeatedly to get rid of the tears that have already began to form in my eyes.

I don't reply to him, instead I shrug my shoulders. It's no surprise to me that it makes him angry, so he brings his fists up and slams them against the lockers again, this time moving them closer to my head.

"DON'T PLAY STUPID!" He shouts, his spit hitting my face. "I KNOW THAT YOU KNOW WHERE SHE IS!"

I quickly glance around the corridor to see if there is anyone about who will help me, but there isn't. There is just a crowd full of students watching in amusement to see what's going to happen next, this is another reason why I hate school. My eyes lock on one specific person in the crowd. It's Santana. She's not really even in the crowd, she's standing right beside Finn. She meets my gaze and I can tell that she's confused about what's going on. I want her to help me, I want her to tell them to stop or to at least go and get Quinn or Sam, but I know that she won't.

"SPEAK TO ME!" Puck grabs my shoulders and shakes me violently a few times before pushing me back up against the lockers. "STOP BEING STUPID AND TELL ME WHERE THE FUCK SHE IS!"

Before anyone can say or do anything else, Sam pushes through the crowd of people and grabs Puck, ramming him head first into the row of lockers on the opposite side of the corridor. "What the hell are you playing at, Puckerman?" Sam growls as he pulls Puck up by the collar of his shirt, forcing him against a locker.

"Where is Quinn?" Puck demands, ignoring Sam's question completely. He pushes against Sam who stumbles back a few steps. I can tell that Sam is getting angrier now, he has his fists clenched.

"I asked you a question!" Sam states, his voice is surprisingly calm, but I can tell that he's going to lose control soon. I hope Quinn can get here in time to sort it out. "What the hell were you playing at?"

"I want to know where Quinn is! I know that she knows where she is!" He points in my direction, glaring at me as he does so. I can feel everyone's eyes on me and it makes me feel uneasy, I just want to disappear.

Just as the words come out of Puck's mouth. Quinn and Rachel make their way through the crowd hand in hand. As soon as Quinn sees me, she immediately lets go of Rachel's hand and runs over to me, throwing her arms around me and pulling me into a bone crushing hug.

"I'm so sorry Britt." She murmurs into my ear. Her and I both know that she's talking about what happened in my bedroom and what is happening now. "I should never have gone to help Rachel! I'm so sorry!"

I pull back away from her and I see that she has tears in her eyes. I take her hand in mine and squeeze it tightly, letting her know that it's okay.

"It's not okay, Britt!" She disagrees as she shakes her head. "I should have been there! Are you okay? Did he hurt you?"

I shake my head and watch as she smiles in relief. She's calmed down now as she knows that I'm not hurt, but I can tell that she's blaming herself for what has happened, even though it's not her fault. She pulls me back into a hug and kisses my cheek.

"I'm so glad you're okay." She whispers sincerely. I don't know why we're whispering, but I'm guessing it's because she doesn't want anyone to overhear our conversation. "I was in the choir room with Rachel when I heard Puck shouting, I tried to get here as fast as possible, but there were so many people and I couldn't get past! I f-"

I cut her off by kissing her cheek. I hear a few people gasp at the action, but I don't care. I suppose they're shocked at how Quinn and I show our affection to one another. I mean, she just kissed me on the cheek and I just kissed her even though her girlfriend is standing right next to us. It's nothing out of the normal though, they just don't see it often.

Quinn and I are both broken out of our train of thoughts when we hear a loud crash coming from behind us. We turn around to find Sam now pushed up against the locker by Puck. Quinn lets go of me and then marches over to where Puck and Sam are. I watch as she places a hand on Puck's shoulder and pulls him back with all of her strength.

"Let go of him, Puckerman"! She demands as she does her best to drag him away. She's actually pretty strong, but Puck is about twice her size and weight which makes it hard for her to pull him away. "It's me you want to talk to, not him so let him go!"

Surprisingly, Puck listens to Quinn and he let's Sam go. Sam stops for a second to regain his breath and as soon as he has done that, he rushes over to where I'm standing and wraps his arms around me protectively, keeping me close to his chest. I feel a bit safer now.

"What the hell were you playing at, Puck?" Quinn yells as she throws her hands up in the air for dramatic effect. The hallway is silent now and the crowd of people that have gathered are all watching intently to see what's going to happen next.

"I wanted to know where you were!" He replies, raising his voice so it's matching Quinn's. Puck sounds and looks scary right now, but it doesn't phase Quinn at all.

"So you terrorised Brittany to find that information out?" She takes a step closer to Puck and they're face to face. Both of them are glaring at one another. Quinn is doing it because she's angry, but Puck is only doing it to look intimidating.

"I knew that she would have the answers!" It's true, it would make sense to ask me where Quinn was because she always makes sure I know where she is throughout the day. "You always tell her where you're going!" I can hear the jealousy in his voice and I can't help but take some satisfaction from that.

"That's because it's her business to know!" She cries out as she places her hands on her hips. "You don't own me, Puck! You never have and you never will!"

"I just want to talk to you, Quinn!"

"You want to talk?" Quinn smirks as she raises one of her eyebrows. She's going into bitch mode now and nobody likes it when Quinn is in bitch mode. "Are you even capable of doing that? Because from what I've heard all you can do is scream like a pathetic little girl!"

A few people in the crowd laugh at her comment and Puck's cheek turn red due to embarrassment. I notice that one of the students who laughed was Santana and that confuses me because I thought she and Puck were friends. You don't laugh at your friends when they're getting made fun of.

"Why are you acting like such a bitch?" Puck asks finally when he can't think of a good enough comeback to Quinn's comment.

"Why am I acting like such a bitch?" She repeats, chuckling sarcastically as she does so. I don't like it when Quinn acts like this but I know she's only doing it to remind everyone that she's in charge. "Maybe because you just screamed in my best friend's face, called her stupid and scared her shitless!

"I'm sorry, okay?" He sighs in defeat. It's evident that he's not sorry for what he's done and he's only apologising to get on Quinn's good side. "Just please talk to me!"

"What is there to talk about, Puck?" She questions as she rolls her eyes. "We've been through it all before!"

"I want to know why you left me for that!" He points to where Rachel is standing, throwing a disgusted look at her as he does so. This just makes Quinn even angrier.

"That happens to me my girlfriend and I suggest that you start calling her by her name, which is Rachel, and move on with your life!"

"Stop being a bitch and just speak to me!"

"I'm not having this conversation in front of half the students at McKinley! Grow up Puck, and then we'll talk!"

Puck opens his mouth to answer back, but nothing comes out. This makes Quinn smirk in satisfaction. As usual, she has won the fight. She never loses. Quinn then turns her attention away from Puck and to the large crowd of students who are sill gathered round, wanting to see what's going to happen.

"You all have three seconds to move." She states calmly, her voice is sweet, like it is when she speaks to me, but I know she's doing it to scare the other students. It works. "If you aren't gone by the time I count to three, I'll make sure you all receive an extra special surprise in your lockers tomorrow."

There's no way that Quinn can possibly who tell who is in the crowd of people and who isn't, but her threat scares enough people and by the time Quinn counts to three, nearly everyone is gone. The only people left are; Puck, Karofsky, Finn, Sam, Quinn, Rachel, Me and Santana.

No one says anything to anyone and Quinn backs away from Puck and takes her place beside me. Her arm slips around my waist and I'm willingly pulled out of Sam's embrace and into hers. I feel even safer now with Quinn's arms around me and my head resting on her shoulder. She's comfier than Sam and I don't want to let go of her any time soon. I look over Quinn's shoulder to see Santana staring at us. She has her mouth open and it's as if she wants to say something to us. She thinks better of it though and closes it again. She does this a few times and it makes her look a bit like a fish. I think she's confused.

Quinn and Sam both notice me staring and they follow my gaze to Santana. At the same time, they both realise that Santana had stood with Puck, Finn and Karofsky and watched everything happen. The two of them are already annoyed at Santana for teasing me and this has just made them even more angrier at her. I know the two of them are about to say something, but luckily the bell rings and I pull them both away before they can say anything.

* * *

**Sorry for the wait! I hope you enjoy the update. There's no Brittana in it, but the next update will have a lot more in it, so don't worry! Thank you for all the reviews and alerts :) If you review, I'll love you forever!**

**nayalove: Don't worry, I can guarantee Quinn and Santana will be getting into a few fights in the near future! **

**Emri: Thank you! I don't even know why I chose that friendship pairing.. it just sort of sounded great haha :)**

** : Thank you! Even when Santana finds out about Brittany's problem, they won't become best friends or girlfriends straight away. I'm going to make Santana work for it!**


	5. I Didn't Know

"Brittany!" I hear Quinn call my name, so I turn my attention away from Sam and look down the hallway to see my other best friend storming towards us. She looks furious, and I begin to wonder how she can be so angry when school only started two and a half hours ago.

"What's wrong?" Sam asks for me when Quinn stops beside my locker. I was going to ask her myself, but just as I was about to, a group of girls slowly walked passed us, so Sam spoke instead. "You look pissed."

"That's because I am!" She growls, clenching her fists so tightly that her knuckles turn white. I begin to wonder what could have made her this angry, but I can't think of anything. Quinn isn't an angry person, she only gets angry when people are picking on me or Rachel, or when we're at Cheerios practice and she's shouting at the other cheerleaders.

I decide to give Quinn a hug to calm her down, because who doesn't like hugs? I wrap my arms around her waist and pull her in closer to me. I feel her relax into my arms and I smile in satisfaction, knowing that she's already calmed down a bit.

"Thanks, Brittany." She says as she pulls out of my embrace a few seconds later. "I needed that." Before she can explain what's wrong with her, the bell rings and everyone begins heading to their classes. Sam, Quinn and I all have Spanish together, so Quinn links her arm through mine and we all begin to walk their together.

When we reach the class, it's still quite empty, which isn't really a surprise because no one really likes being in Mr Schuster's class for Spanish. The only reason that the three of us don't mind it is because Mr Schue also runs glee club and because we're in it, we're three of his favourites in the class. He doesn't go easy on us though. The desks are in rows of two, so Quinn and I take our usual seats right at the back of the class and Sam sits in the seat in front of us. Mercedes is also in this class and she sits next to Sam, but she isn't here yet.

"So," Sam starts the conversation as he turns around in his seat so that he's facing us. "What has gotten you so pissed off, Quinn?"

"Coach Sue called me into her office this morning." Quinn states as she takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly. "She called me into her office to inform me that she has found a new Cheerio to replace Annie." Annie was one of our best cheerleaders, but three weeks ago she got into an accident and broke her leg. We didn't want to kick her off the squad, but Coach Sue made Quinn and I do it. Well, Quinn did it, I just stood with her and tried to look intimidating.

"Isn't that good?" I question quietly as I glance around to make sure that no one is listening in. The class is beginning to fill up now, but luckily no one is paying any attention to me. "We needed a new member."

"I know we needed a new member." Quinn says, acknowledging my comment. "But you won't believe who Sue has picked." She explains further, scowling as she does so. I still don't understand why Quinn is so worked up about us having a new member because we needed one. I mean, shouldn't she be happy that Sue found someone that she feels is worthy enough to be on the squad?

"Who is it?" I ask when I realise Quinn isn't going to say anything else until I ask her the question. I think she did that so she could hear me talk more, she says that I've been quite quiet lately, but I don't think I have been.

"It's Santana Lopez."

Oh. Now I understand why she's not happy about it, because either am I. As if on cue, Santana strolls confidently into the class with Puck following closely behind. Before she takes her seat in the middle of the class, she turns to Quinn and I and shoots us a smirk each.

"She's such a bitch!" Quinn hisses as she slams her hand down on the table, causing me to jump. Ever since Quinn found out what Santana has being doing to me, she has hated her. I don't think the two of them have ever spoken properly, but I know they both hate each other. You can see it when they walk past one another in the corridor, Quinn's grip always tightens on my arm that she's usually holding so that we don't lose each other in the hallways and then she shoots a glare at Santana, and then the Latina does the same.

I open my mouth to reply, but before I can, Mercedes takes her seat next to Sam and turns around so that she can join in the conversation with us. I close my mouth quickly, biting down on my lower lip and then take my notebook and pen out from my rucksack so that I'm ready to start the lesson.

"I'm sorry." Mercedes smiles apologetically when she notices that she interrupted a conversation between the three of us. I feel bad that she thinks she needs to apologise for doing it, because she doesn't. She shouldn't have to apologise for taking her seat. I should be the one apologising for being so damn awkward and self-conscious.

"It's okay." Quinn replies before I can write anything down. I swear, sometimes I think she can read my mind. I nod my head in agreement to Quinn's statement though, letting Mercedes know she's done nothing wrong.

The second bell rings and just as it does, Mr Schue walks in with a bunch of test papers in his hands. Last week he all made us take our monthly Spanish test. I think I did okay on it. I mean, Quinn did help me study for it, and there were a few answers that I think I got right. I know that Quinn will have done really well though because she's super smart like that, she always gets the correct answers and sometimes, she even offers to let me copy from her. I always say no though, because I don't want to cheat. What's the point in that?

"Right," Mr Schue says as he puts the papers down on his desk and claps his hands together to gain everyone's attention. "I have graded all of your test papers, and the results were... interesting. Some people in the class did exceptionally well, and others didn't do too great. That's why I'm going to make some of you move seats, so those of you who are good with Spanish can help the one's that aren't as good."

The class groans in protest, but I just look over at Quinn to see what she's thinking. I can tell that she's not happy with that because she knows that there is a chance that we could be split up. In all honesty, I'd rather sit next to Quinn, but I don't mind sitting next to someone else if I have to. It's not like I'm going to talk to them anyway.

"Before I move you all seats, I'm going to hand out your test papers so you can see how you've done." Mr Schue informs us all as he begins to hand out the sheets of paper. "You can all talk quietly amongst yourselves whilst I do so."

Mercedes and Sam both turn around to talk to Quinn and I, and they begin to complain about us getting moved seats. I shrug my shoulders, not knowing what else to do and Quinn roles her eyes and tells them that there's nothing we can do about it, and we'll need to wait and see what happens. Mr Schue finally makes his way up to the back of the class and hands Sam and Mercedes their tests back and then he gives Quinn and mine ours back too.

"What did you get, Brittany?" Quinn asks as she looks up from her own paper. I can tell that she's got a good score already, and it makes me not want to show her mine. "Let me see, it can't be that bad. We studied for this!" She encourages me as she places her hand on my knee, squeezing it slightly to show her support.

I sigh in defeat, knowing that there is no way I can keep this from her, and I slide her my paper over. She picks it up and stares at it for a second, and then a massive grin appears on her face. "Brittany, you got thirty-six out of fifty!" She exclaims. "That's amazing!" She throws her arms around me and pulls me in for a quick hug. When I'm out of her embrace, I look at her as I wait for her to tell me what she got. "I got forty-seven out of fifty!"

"That's great!" I whisper in her ear as I give her another hug. "Ask Sam and Mercedes what they got." I instruct. I think she was going to ask them anyway, but I just wanted to make sure that she hadn't forgotten about them.

"Mercedes, what did you get?" Quinn questions as she taps Mercedes on the shoulder to get her attention.

"I got thirty-nine out of fifty!" She beams, lifting up her test paper to let us see. Quinn and I copy her action, and we lift up our own so that she can see what we got. "Well done guys, those are great scores!"

"Yeah," Quinn nods in agreement before turning to Sam. "Sam, what did you get?"

"Twenty-one out of fifty." He grumbles in embarrassment as he hangs his head in shame. Sam has never been good at Spanish, but that's okay because he's good at other subjects. He finds Spanish really hard, just like I find Biology really hard. Quinn says that it's okay to find some subjects hard, but I think she just says that to make us feel better because she doesn't find any subject hard.

"Hey, that's still good." Quinn replies, trying to keep everything positive. "Next time, you can study with me and Brittany. If you need any extra help, I'm sure Mercedes or I can fit in some tutoring time for you."

"She's right Sam." Mercedes interrupts. "We want to help you. So if you need any extra help, let us know."

After we've had a few minutes to look over out test papers, Mr Schue calls for them all to be brought forward so that he can collect them in again. Once he has them all, he puts them away in a folder and then brings out a new sheet of paper which has a plan of all the seats in the classroom.

"In my hands is the new seating plan." He explains as he waves the single piece of paper. "When you hear your name being called, I want you to take your stuff and move and sit next to that person at the desks I point to. First on the list is Noah Puckerman and Mercedes Jones, I want the two of you at the front of the class."

Mercedes opens her mouth to protest, but she knows that there's no getting out of it. With a scowl fixed firmly upon her face, she grabs her stuff and waves goodbye to us before going to sit at the front of the class with Puck.

* * *

"And now for the last two pairs." Mr Schue announces, and I begin to listen again. I sort of zoned out when he was pairing everyone else in the class up, so I'm not too sure who is even left. I just know that Sam, Quinn and I are all left because I haven't heard out names being called yet. "I want Sam Evans and Quinn Fabray to sit at the desk that Sam is already at, and I want Santana Lopez to sit in the spare seat next to Brittany Pierce."

I feel my stomach tighten when I hear who I'm going to be sitting next to and I begin to feel uneasy. I don't want to sit next to Santana in this class. It's bad enough that I have to sit next to her in art. I want to say something in protest, but I can't. It frustrates me because I just want to shout out that I don't want to sit next to her, but I'm too scared to do that. I'm scared that if anyone hears me speak then they're going to laugh at me.

"I'm not moving!" Quinn shouts out, staying firmly in her seat. "I'm not sitting next to Sam, I'm staying next to Brittany." I can hear it in her voice that she's hoping that Mr Schue will just accept the fact and make Santana sit next to Sam so that she doesn't need to explain herself further.

"Quinn, your seat is next to Sam now." He counter backs calmly. "You need to move so that Santana can sit in her seat."

"I'm not moving." She argues back. "I'm sitting next to Brittany like I have done since the start of high school. Santana can sit next to Sam and she can help him with his Spanish." It sounds like a good idea to me because I'm pretty sure that Santana is good at Spanish because I have heard her shouting at someone in it before, and since Sam got a lower score than me, it makes sense that she should help him instead.

"Quinn, if you don't move yourself right now, I will be forced to kick you out of this class for the rest of the lesson and give you an after school detention." Mr Schue warns her in a serious tone. I look over to Quinn to see if she's going to back down or not. She's never had a detention before, but she's also never backed down from an argument. Either way, either her reputation or record is going to get damaged in some way.

"I'm not moving for her." She repeats through gritted teeth as she throws a glare at Santana. Santana's gotten closer now, she's standing right behind my chair and it makes me feel a little bit nervous. I try not to look at her though and pretend as if she isn't there, but it's hard as I can smell her strong vanilla scent.

"Well then, I want you to go and tell Principal Figgins about how you have disrupted my class over a silly seating arrangement." Mr Schue orders as he points to the door.

"Oh, I'll be sure to. I hope you have fun explaining to Coach Sue why you're not letting me go to practice today. I'm sure she'll love to hear that you were making one of her star Cheerios uncomfortable in class, and then when I tried to protect my fellow squad member, you gave me detention for it." Quinn smiles sarcastically before picking up her stuff.

I grab onto her arm because I don't want her to leave me here with Santana and she turns to look at me with a pained expression on her face. "I'm so sorry, B. I'll try and get it changed, I promise." She whispers as she lifts my hand off of her arm and squeezes it softly. She then turns to look at Santana and I watch as the two of them tense up. "Don't you dare do anything to upset her, or I swear I'll make your time on the Cheerios a living hell." She threatens, she then turns on her heels and storms out of the classroom.

I look to the door that Quinn has just exited through and I can't help but feel guilty about it all. She was fighting for me and now she's got detention because of it. I'm brought out of my thoughts when Santana sits down next to me. As soon as she's settled, I move my chair as far away as possible from hers, not wanting anything to do with her.

"Okay, so..." Mr Schue announces, gaining everyone's attention once again. "Now that we have no more interruptions, we can start today's lesson. I think that since you are all sitting next to new people, you should take the rest of the lesson to speak to them in Spanish and get to know them."

Immediately, everyone turns to face the person they're sitting next to and they all begin talking to one another. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Santana turn her seat around so that she's facing me directly. It makes me shift in my seat uncomfortably as I don't know what to do. I can't talk to her. I just can't. I reach over for my pen and paper and pull them towards me. Maybe if I write her a note, then she'll understand. I've never written her a note before and I don't know what she'll think of it, but it's the only plan I can come up with.

"Hey, Santana. I think you should speak to me instead of Brittany." Sam suggests as he turns around in his seat to face us. "She's not much of a talker." He winks at me and I grin at him. I'm thankful that he's still near me in the class so that he can make sure that I'm okay.

"I don't think so, fish lips." Santana responds, rejecting his offer. "Mr Schue instructed us to speak to our partners, so that's what we're going to do."

"I don't want to fight with you." Sam sighs, ignoring the comment about his lips completely. "Brittany isn't going to talk to you or anyone else in this classroom. There's no point in trying, so you're better talking to me."

I nod my head in agreement with Sam because it's true, I'm not going to speak to anyone in this classroom. Santana goes to open her mouth to say something, but before she can, Mr Schue comes over to our desks. "What's going on here?" He asks as he leans against the desk that Quinn should be sitting at. "I hear no talking and Sam, you shouldn't have turned around."

"She's the one who won't talk." Santana rolls her eyes in my direction before folding her arms across her chest. "I tried to make conversation with her, but obviously she has some sort of problem with me."

I can't help but blush when I hear Santana talk about me when I'm sitting right next to her, it makes me feel really awkward and I don't like it. I glance down at my hands and begin to play with the ring on my finger to amuse myself so that I don't have to look at anyone. I feel bad when I hear that Santana thinks I have a problem with her, because I don't. Well, I sort of do because she acts quite mean to me, but I have a problem with near enough everyone, not just her. I wish Sam would tell her that.

"Brittany, look at me." Mr Schue instructs. He's trying to use the calm and soft voice that Quinn uses when she talks to me, but it doesn't sound the same. It sounds horrible. I slowly lift my head up to find my Spanish teacher looking down on me. "I know you're uncomfortable about sitting next to someone who isn't Quinn or Sam, but I'm doing this to help you."

I clench my hands into fists and shake my head angrily at him. I don't need help. I don't need help from him or from anybody else. Quinn and Sam are helping me, and that's enough.

"Brittany, I don't want you to argue with me." Mr Schue says. "Do you think you can say something right now? There's only Sam, Santana and I here, you know us all, you have nothing to be afraid of."

I swallow the lump in my throat and take a deep breath in before letting out slowly in an attempt to control my breathing. It doesn't help. I can't do this. I can't speak in front of him and Santana. They'll laugh at me if I do. They'll call me stupid. I know they will. I shake my head once again and then turn to face Sam, hoping that he'll say something to stop this. As I turn, I notice that everyone in the class have all stopped talking and are now listening into our conversation, it makes me panic even more.

"Mr Schue!" Sam shout to get his attention. "You're being unreasonable here! Leave Brittany alone!" He reaches out and takes my hand in his, squeezing it tightly to show his support. All I can think about is how I want him to hug me, because when he hugs me I feel safe.

"Sam, please stay out of this." Mr Schue orders before turning his attention back to me. "Come on Brittany, you can do it." He's doing his best to encourage me, but it doesn't work. It just makes him sound creepy.

"Mr Schue, please stop this!" Sam pleads, not backing down from the argument. "You can't do this to Brittany, leave her alone!"

"Sam, I'm trying to help Brittany!" He explains, raising his voice slightly. "I'd appreciate it if you would just stay out of this! Brittany, talk to us, stop acting so silly."

As soon as I hear the word Silly, I freeze. I'm not being silly and it makes me angry that he thinks that I am. I hear a few people in the class laugh at the teacher's comment, and that's enough to throw me over the edge. I stand up from my seat, pushing my chair backwards with such a force that it falls to the ground, and then I run out the class. As I run, I can hear Mr Schue and Sam shouting on me to come back, but I ignore them. I don't stop running until I get to the girl's bathroom. I don't know why I ran to here, but I don't question it because at least I'm alone. I sit down on the ground with my back against the wall and draw my knees up into my chest, wrapping my arms around them.

I don't know how long I have until the end of class, but I don't care. I'm not going back. I can't. Not without Quinn. If she had been there then that would never of happened. Sam doesn't protect me as well as Quinn does, but that's okay because he's better at other things. I just want Quinn.

* * *

I hear the bell ring, signalling it's the end of class. I know I should move to go to my next class, but I really don't want to. I have art next which means I will see Santana, and I don't know if I can handle that. I consider skipping class, but I really don't want to because I like art and Quinn would be upset with me if I did.

Sighing, I pull myself up from the ground, smoothing down my skirt as I do so. I wander over to the mirror and grimace at my reflection. My eyes are puffy from crying and I have some mascara streaks down my cheeks. Instinctively, I reach down to get my bag to redo my make up, and I realise that it's not there. I must have left it in Spanish. I don't want to go back there on my own, but I need to. I have to get my stuff. I could wait until lunch and then get Quinn to come to Mr Schuster's lass with me, but that means I'll be another hour or so.

The door to the bathroom opens, snapping me out of my thoughts and making me jump in shock. My back is to the door, but as I'm looking into the mirror, I have a clear view of it. I watch as Santana walks in and I automatically tense up. When she sees me standing there, she walks further into the bathroom and then leans against the wall.

"Class was interesting." She states, looking directly at my reflection in the mirror. "Sam got sent out just after you stormed out."

I feel bad when I hear the news about Sam because I know it's my fault. He got angry at Mr Schue because of me. If I had just done what Mr Schue had asked, then none of this would have happened. Why couldn't I have just spoken? Why did I have to be so scared? Why do I always have to be so stupid? If I had done it, Quinn and Sam both wouldn't have gotten into trouble today.

"As much as I love the silence between us, there is a reason to why I'm here." Santana's voice brings me out of my thoughts and I turn around to face her to show that I'm listening. "You forgot your stuff in class." She holds up my backpack and waves it in the air. "We both have art now so I thought I'd give you it, but you weren't in art so I decided to come and find you."

She slides my bag across the floor and it stops at my feet. I pick it up and then throw her an appreciative smile. I'm thankful that Santana brought my backpack to me because it means that I don't have to go back to the Spanish classroom. It confuses me to why Santana took my backpack though because she doesn't like me and it makes no sense that she's doing nice things for me.

I turn my back to Santana and open up my backpack, taking out my make up bag. I pull out a few make up wipes and begin to clean my face with them. I'm well aware that Santana is still watching me, but for some reason, it doesn't make me nervous like it usually does. I think it's because she's looking at me like she did the first time we met. Her eyes are soft and caring, and I can't look away from them.

"You're probably wondering why I'm still here, right?" She asks, breaking the silence once again. I nod my head in conformation, which makes her chuckle slightly. I can hear the nervousness in her voice which surprises me because I don't understand why she would be nervous about speaking to me. "I-I saw what happened in class today, obviously." She says, shifting her gaze away from me to look at her clasped hands instead. "I didn't know."

I frown at her because right now, I don't really get where she's going with what she's saying. Of course she saw what happened in class, she was sitting right next to me, but what didn't she know?

"I didn't know." She repeats again, but now she's talking more to herself than to me. "I know I'm a bitch, but if I had known then I wouldn't have..." She trails off as she looks up to me once again. It's like she's waiting for me to say something, but we both know that won't happen. It's weird seeing Santana like this. She looks so shy and nervous, a little bit like she did when I saw her for the very first time. "Shit... I'm not very good with words." She mumbles as she rocks back and forth from the balls of her feet to the tips of her toes.

I continue to watch her, not really knowing what to do in the situation. I'm sure that if I could talk to her, I'd say something comforting to her because that's what Quinn does to me in situations like this. Before I can even think it through, I grab my notebook and pen from out of my backpack and scribble down a note to her.

_**'I'm not good with words either... you might have noticed that.'**_

I walk the short distance over to her and hand her the notebook and pen. I've never sent Santana a not before and I don't know what she'll think of it. I watch her as she reads it, she mouths every word and when she's finished, a small chuckle escapes her lips. My stomach drops and my heart beats faster when I hear her laugh. I haven't even spoken to her properly and yet, she's laughing at what I've written. I was only trying to be nice. I can feel my cheeks getting hotter because of the embarrassment, and I just want to leave the bathroom and get as far away from Santana as possible. I throw my backpack on my left shoulder and go to leave. Santana still has my notebook but I don't care. She can keep it. I have loads more.

"Wait, where are you going?" She calls to me when she realises what I'm doing. My hand is on the door and I'm ready to push it. I have to get out of here. "I wasn't laugh-" Her voice cuts out when I push open the bathroom door and exit through it, leaving her in there alone.

* * *

**I am so so so so sorry for the wait! I don't even know what took so long... I just couldn't write this update. I knew what I wanted to happen in it, but every time I tried to write it, my mind would go blank. I ended up changing a lot of it, so I'm not too thrilled about this update, but it's sort of going in the direction that I want it to go on... so I won't complain any more :)**

**Thank you for all the alerts and reviews, they make my day :)**

**goshtperfect: There will be more Faberry in later chapters, don't worry! Besides, Quinn is a really big part in this story, so there will always be little random Faberry scenes ;)  
**

**Calzona13: Thank you! I hope you like this update!**

**nayalove: Thank you, and don't worry! Santana will have to work very hard to gain Brittany's trust :)**

**prattle01: I know it is! It's really hard to write too! Well, things seem to be going in the right direction for them now. So hopefully Santana won't be so mean!**

**Guest: Thank you so much for review! It means a lot because you commented on my writing ability, I'm so glad you like it! Haha, thanks again :)**

**the mad twin: I'm not gonna tell you :P Santana has her own story which will be explored more in other chapters, so right now I'm gonna keep it a secret ;P Don't worry fights will happen... especially between Santana and Quinn ;)**

**Please review, and if you have any ideas, let me know! :)**


	6. The Santana Diary

_**September 9th, 2012**_

_**Dear Santana Diary,**_

_**I bought you today and named you Santana Diary because you're job is to keep all my thoughts and feelings about Santana a secret. You see, I have another diary and in that one I write whatever I want, but I don't want to write about Santana in there because Quinn reads it and I don't think she'd be happy if she read about Santana. I don't mind that Quinn reads my diary though, because she's doing it to help me. Even though I can speak to her, I'm not very good at expressing my thoughts and feelings, so I write them down for her to read. It's easier that way.**_

_**Santana spoke to me today. She's spoken to me before, but this time it was different because she was actually being nice to me. You see, I ran out of Spanish today because Mr Schuster completely embarrassed me in front of the whole class. However, when I ran out, I forgot my backpack and I didn't realise that until I was in the girl's bathroom on my own. Then, at the end of the lesson, Santana came into the bathroom carrying my backpack. I don't know why she brought it to me, but I was thankful that she did because it meant that I didn't have to go back to Spanish to get it. **_

_**I don't know why she brought it to me, because I mean, she could have just left it in the classroom for me to pick up later. I think there was definitely something wrong with her though because when she tried to speak to me, she began to stutter and get really nervous. I'm not too sure why she got nervous around me because it wasn't like I was going to make fun of her or laugh at her. It confused me. **_

_**Anyway, I didn't like seeing Santana looking so uncomfortable so I decided to write her a note. I thought that maybe it was a good thing to do, because she said that she wasn't good with words so I wrote to her and told her that I wasn't good with words either. It makes perfect sense, right? Well it did to me, but I don't think it did to Santana. She laughed at my note. She read it and laughed. I was so embarrassed that I ran out the bathroom, leaving her in there alone. **_

_**I didn't go back to class after that, I went to the store so that I could buy you, Santana Diary. I know that I shouldn't have skipped school and I know that Quinn is going to be super mad that I did it, but I don't care, it was something I had to do. I was so upset that I couldn't go back to class. I thought that maybe Santana and I could be friends or something, but obviously I was wrong. **_

_**I'll write in you again soon, Santana Diary!**_

_**Love, Britt x**_

I read over the diary entry a few times before I close the book and place the lock back on it. I decided to buy one with a lock so that if Lord Tubbington finds it, he can't read it. I'm pretty sure he's reading my other one though, but I guess that's okay because Quinn reads it too. I don't want them reading my Santana Diary though, because it's really private.

"Brittany, come downstairs now!" I hear my mom call from downstairs and I can't help but sigh. I can tell from the tone of her voice that she's stressed out which means she'll get angry at the slightest thing. I don't want her to get angry at me, so I slide my diary under my pillow, climb out of my bed and make my way downstairs.

I find my mom in the kitchen with my sister, Courtney. Courtney is at the kitchen island doing her homework and my mom is busy cooking dinner. She has her back to me and I don't think that she's noticed that I'm here yet. I glance at my watch and notice that it's just turned four o'clock and I frown because she never makes dinner this early. I take a seat next to Courtney and nudge her playfully before throwing my arm around her shoulder, pulling her in for a hug.

"Brittany!" She squeals as she does her best not to fall off her seat. "I'm trying to do my homework!" Grinning at her, I let her go but not before messing up her curly blonde hair. She sticks her tongue out at me and then does her best to fix her again, but it doesn't really work. She looks a bit like a clown now.

After hearing the commotion, my mom turns around and places her hands on her hips. She's still in her work suit and she has dark bags under her eyes. I don't think she's been getting much sleep lately because of her work. She works really hard, and sometimes, she doesn't come home from work until the early hours of the morning.

"A few friends from work are coming over for dinner." She informs Courtney and I as she stifles a yawn. I don't think that it's a good idea that she has people coming over for dinner because it's evident she needs sleep, but I know better than to question it. "Brittany, I want you to stay in your room for the whole evening. I don't want you coming downstairs because if my friends see you, I'm going to have to explain why you won't talk them. Courtney, I want you to stay in your room as well."

Her instructions don't really come as a shock to me or Courtney because we both sort of expected them, it's what always happens when we have guests over that aren't family. I don't think my mom is embarrassed by me or Courtney. I think that she just doesn't want to deal with us so she makes us stay in our rooms. Personally, it doesn't bother me because I like being on my own, but I know it bothers Courtney.

"What about dinner?" Courtney whines. "I'm hungry!" I can tell that Courtney's not happy with the instructions we've been given. It's probably because it's a Friday night which means she can stay up later. Although, staying up later isn't very good if you're locked in your room for the whole night.

"Brittany can take you to Breadsticks just now." My mom answers, rolling her eyes as she does so. It's like she's frustrated because she has to feed us and I begin to feel guilty about that. If she hadn't of come home early from work, then I would have had dinner made and then she wouldn't be stressed out. "Go and get ready."

* * *

When Courtney and I get to Breadsticks, we take our usual table in the corner of the restaurant. I feel guilty for making Courtney sit in the back corner, but she always insists that she doesn't mind. We only sit there because it's the quietest part with the least tables, which makes me feel a lot more comfortable and safer. Also, it means that there is less chance of people overhearing me speak which is a mega bonus.

"How was school?" I ask my sister quietly as I lean over the table so that she can hear me better. Even though I know that no one is, I glance around at my surroundings to make sure that no one is listening in. It's routine, a habit that I can't break.

"It was okay." She shrugs, bringing up the menu to cover her face. Just by her actions, I can tell that she's lying to me and it upsets me a little knowing that she's doing that. I carefully reach out and pull the menu down from her face and offer her a friendly smile, it's the least I can do.

"What's wrong, Court?" I don't want to sound too pushy, but at the same time, I really want to know what's wrong with my sister. She's more important to me than anyone else in the world. She's even more important than Sam, Quinn and Lord Tubbington combined. I'm her big sister, and it's my job to look out for her and I'll do whatever I can to help her.

I watch as my little sister shifts uncomfortably in her seat as she glances around the room nervously. It's weird seeing her like that because even though she's only just turned eleven, she's usually the one who is calm and I'm the one who is fidgeting due to discomfort.

"I-" She opens her mouth to speak but closes it again quickly, shaking her head at what I guess are the wrong choice of words. "Brittany, do you think that I'm pretty?"

I'm completely taken aback by her question because I totally wasn't expecting it. Of course I think my sister pretty and I'm not just saying that because she's my sister. She has bright blue eyes and long blonde hair, she looks like a younger version of me! The only difference is that she wears glasses and I don't. I nod my head in reply to her question and then shoot her a questioning look, urging her to explain what's going on and why she asked that question.

"People at school make fun of me because they say I look like a geek." She admits, dropping her head in shame. My breath catches in my throat when I hear her revelation and I reach across the table and take her hand in mine to show my support. "I want to look like you, Brittany."

My heart swells with pride when I hear that she wants to look like me. I don't exactly know why it does, I think it's because I'm not used to anyone looking up to me. I mean, who would want a role model who can barely talk to anyone? "You don't look like a geek, Court." I breathe out as I squeeze her hand reassuringly. "You look beautiful and don't let anyone tell you otherwise, okay?"

"That's easier said than done." She counters back quickly, making me laugh quietly. Courtney has always been smart for her age, and a lot of the time she comes up with witty comments that always make me laugh. "I'm serious, B! Maybe if I look like you then people will leave me alone."

I smile sadly at her because I know it's not as easy as that. I still get bullied and I look like me, so I'm pretty sure that Courtney would still get made fun of if she looked exactly like me too. "You don't need to look like me." I tell her as I once again glance around the restaurant. We've been sitting her for at least ten minutes which means a waitress should be coming over soon. "However, since it's your birthday coming up and mom will probably just give you money for that, I'll take you out shopping, okay?"

"But that's like a month away!" She pouts in disappointment, making her glasses slide down her nose. "I can't wait that long!" I nod my head knowingly, understanding her frustration completely. I remember when Quinn and I were Courtney's age, we used to beg our parents to take us shopping nearly every weekend for new clothes.

"I tell you what then." I say as I lean in closer to her again so that she can hear me better. "I'll take you out shopping tomorrow for one outfit. It can be an early birthday present from me, okay?"

I watch in satisfaction as Courtney's face lights up and she jumps up and down in her seat, clapping her hands together excitedly. "Thank you so much, Brittany! I love you!" Seeing my sister happy makes me happy and right now, I wish that there wasn't a table separating us so that I could give her a hug.

* * *

"I am stuffed!" Courtney exclaims as she carelessly puts down her cutlery, making them clatter on the dinner plate. I nod my head in agreement with her as I swallow my last mouthful of food. In all honesty, I'm surprised I was even able to swallow it because I'm already so full.

"Are you ready to go?" I ask as I rummage around my bag, searching for the money my mom gave me to pay for the dinner with. I eventually find it in the corner of the bag and pull it out, counting it out to make sure that I will have enough. It's ridiculous to be counting it out because my mom gave me more than enough to pay for dinner for two people, but I have to make sure, just to be on the safe side.

"Yeah, I just gotta pee first..." Her voice trails off as she looks at something behind me. It makes me feel a little bit uneasy because unlike me, Courtney never gets distracted. "Brittany, someone is staring at the back of your head." She informs me in a hushed tone, her eyes never leaving whoever is behind me. "They've been doing it for about five minutes now, but don't worry, they're not in earshot and they're from your school because they're wearing a Cheerios uniform."

As I'm curious to know what my sister is going on about, I slowly turn around in my seat and I freeze when I see who is standing there. It's Santana. She's wearing a Cheerios uniform and that's when I remember that her first practice was today. I feel a bad for missing practice now because Coach Sue would have been in a really bad mood since both me and Quinn weren't there and I'm pretty sure she would have taken it out on all of the other cheerleaders.

I want to look away from her, but it's like my body is frozen and I can't do that. My eyes trail all over her body and I realise how good she looks in the cheerleading uniform. She looks just as good as Quinn does. Although, I don't really like her hair tied back. She still looks pretty, but I preferred it when she had it down. It's not like she can help that though, Coach Sue always makes sure we have our hair tied back.

Suddenly, Santana starts moving towards me. As she gets closer, I can see the shy smile on her face and I can't help but smile back at her, even though I'm still embarrassed about what happened earlier at school. I forget about that though and push it to the back of my mind as I watch her getting closer and closer. Eventually, she stops right in front of me and nervously plays with the pleat of her skirt.

"Hi." She says, clearing her throat as she does so. "I was just in here getting something for my dinner, do you know they do take-out here?" I nod my head in reply to her question because I know they do take-out here. Sometimes, Quinn, Sam and I come here on the weekend to get food and then we go to the park. "Yeah, well, uh, I saw you sitting here and I just thought I'd say hello."

"Who are you?" Courtney interrupts before I can do anything to acknowledge Santana's statement. I watch as Courtney gets up from her seat and walks around to my side of the table, wedging herself between Santana and I. I steal a glance at the Latina's face and I can tell that she's surprised by all of this and I begin to worry that she's going to shout at my sister.

"I'm Santana." She responds, offering her a tight lipped smile. I don't think she's used to being around kids, but so far, she's doing an okay job. I mean, she hasn't shouted at Courtney or screamed at her in Spanish yet, so I guess she's okay with my sister butting into the conversation. "I got to school with your sister."

"I'm Courtney." My sister replied, placing her hands on her hips in an attempt to look more intimidating. It's a trick that Quinn taught her, and usually it works, but I don't think it does this time because Santana is the most intimidating person I know. "I can tell that you go to school with my sister, you both have the same uniform."

I frown at Courtney's rudeness and grab onto her arm, spinning her around to face me. I lean in so that my mouth is close to her ear and then clasp my hand over it, so that there is no way Santana can hear what I'm about to say. "Stop being so rude and go and pee. I'm fine." I move back to my original position and watch as Courtney opens her mouth to object to my demand. As soon as she does, I shake my head and point in the direction of the bathroom. She walks away without saying another word.

"Coach Sue was pretty pissed you weren't at practice." Santana says, starting up the conversation once again. I still don't understand why she's talking to me because really, it makes no sense. I'm about to come to the conclusion that it's probably because she's waiting for her food, but then I notice the paper bag in her hand and I realise that it's obviously not that. "I hope you don't mind, but I told her about what happened."

My eyes widen in shock because I don't know how I feel about Santana talking about me to Coach Sue. I don't really like it when Quinn does it and she's my best friend, so I don't really like the idea that Santana is doing it when we're practically strangers.

"Oh no!" She exclaims once she notices that I don't look pleased. "I just told her that you had gone home because you weren't feeling to good. Then she asked where Quinn was and I told her that Mr Schuster gave her detention because she stuck up for you." She elaborates quickly, taking a deep breath when she's finished. "I swear, I didn't go into details."

I nod my head in acknowledgement because I don't really know what to do. I want to say thank you to her, but I don't have a piece of paper or a pen with me. I think Santana is waiting for me to say or do something because she's just standing there, watching me intently. "Do you not have a notebook with you?" She questions as she sits down on the seat that Courtney had once been in. I shake my head slowly, indicating that I don't have one. Santana takes her phone out of her pocket and taps the screen a few times before handing it over to me. "Just type what you want to say to me."

_**'Thanks for telling coach where I was, I appreciate it :)'**_ I hand the phone back to her and wait for her reaction. I don't know why I even typed her a message because I'm supposed to be angry at her as she laughed at me earlier today in the bathroom, but there's something about Santana and for some reason, I just can't stay mad her.

"It's okay." She announces as she hands the phone back over to me. I guess that means she wants to talk more. "You didn't miss much at practice by the way. Coach made someone cry, but from what I gather, that's nothing new."

_**'Believe me, it's not. You'll get used to it. Just stay on her good side and don't go against her orders, if you do that then you'll survive!'**_

"I'll keep those tips in mind, thanks!" She's about to hand her phone back to me, but before she can, Courtney comes back from the bathroom and stands next to me. "Are you leaving now?" Santana asks and I swear I can hear some disappointment in her voice. I'm probably just imagining it though, because who would be disappointed that I was leaving?

I nod my head and adjust my bag strap on my shoulder. I don't really want to leave because I was enjoying interacting with Santana, but I know I have to. I have to get Courtney home so that we can stay up in our rooms for the rest of the night.

"Oh, I'll walk you to your car then?" She stands up and smooths down her uniform and then passes her phone to me so that I can give her an answer. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Courtney watching us in confusion and I pray that she won't ask any questions about what's going on because truthfully, even I don't know what's happening.

_**'We don't have a car. We walked here. You can walk us out though :)'**_

"I can drive you home if you want." She offers once she's finished reading what I've written. "It's raining outside and no one likes to walk home in the rain. I mean, I don't think Coach Sue would be pleased if you got a cold either..." She quickly adds and I swear, I see her cheeks grow red. I'm not even sure if they can do that though. I think I might be imagining that too. I'll have to ask Courtney if she noticed that when we get home.

The idea of being in a car with Santana scares me and excites me at the same time. It scares me because up until today, it seemed as if she hated me and didn't want to speak to me unless it was to make fun of me, but it also made me excited because it was Santana, and there was just something about her that was so captivating.

_**'A ride home would be great... thanks :)'**_

* * *

Santana pulls up to the address that Courtney gave her once we got into the car, and I can't help but feel a little disappointed knowing that my time with Santana has come to an end. I notice that there are three fancy cars also parked outside the house and I roll my eyes at them, knowing that they belong to my mom's friends.

Courtney mutters a thank you to Santana and jumps out the car, running up the steps to our house. I want to tell her that she has to be quiet because our mom has guests, but I can't do that because Santana is sitting right next to me. Instead, I unbuckle my seatbelt and place my hand on the door handle, getting ready to leave. However, I hesitate. I want to say thank you to Santana for driving us home, but I don't have my phone with me and I can't ask if I can borrow hers. I quickly decide that she'll understand why I never said thank you and I make a mental note to write her a note that says thank you the next time I see her.

"Wait!" Santana calls out just as I go to open the door to her car. I turn in my seat so that I'm facing her again and I shoot her a quizzical look as I begin to wonder why she doesn't want me to leave just yet. "I have your notebook and pen from today in the bathroom." She reveals as she reaches into the back of her car and picks up her bag. She rummages through it for a second and then pulls out my notebook and pen and hands them to me.

"I, urm, wrote you a note in there." She stammers as she stares at her hands that are gripping the steering wheel tightly. "Don't read it until you're in your house, okay?" I nod my head and she lets out a sigh of relief before chuckling slightly. "Great."

_**'Thanks for the ride, I really appreciate it and thank you for returning my notebook :) I really need to go now, see you on Monday' **_I rip the page out of my notebook and hand her the note which she happily accepts.

"It's no problem and yeah, see you on Monday." I climb out of Santana's car and run up the three steps to my house as I don't want to get wet because of the rain. Once I'm under the porch, I watch and wave at Santana as she drives away before entering my house.

As soon as I'm inside, I race up to my room and close the door behind me. I flop down onto my bed and flip through my notebook quickly, eagerly looking for the message from Santana. It doesn't take long to find as the page that it has been written on has been folded at the corner. I pull the notebook closer to me as I begin to read, taking in every word of it.

_**'Dear Brittany, **_

_**I'm going to warn you right now that I'm not good with words, so I'm sorry if this offends you or upsets you in anyway at all, but I promise you, that's not what I'm trying to do!**_

_**I think the first thing I need to do is to apologise to you. I understand that I need to apologise in person, but I hope that this will work as a substitute for that until I grow a pair of lady balls and do it properly. I am so sorry for the way that I have treated you, Brittany. I know I'm a bitch and I know that I can be mean, but I had no right picking on you because of something you have little control over. **_

_**I swear, I never knew you couldn't speak. When I first walked into art class and sat down next to you, I thought that you were just ignoring me. I don't know how I never noticed that you didn't speak to anyone in that class, I guess I was just too wrapped up in myself to care. If I had known that you weren't ignoring me on purpose then I wouldn't have tormented you like I have been doing for the past month. Coming to think of it, I shouldn't have done that to you at all because I'm sure that you're a wonderful person. **_

_**Spanish scared me today (not that I'll admit that to anyone else). When Mr Schuster was practically forcing you to speak in front of me and everyone else who was listening in, I actually felt physically sick. He had no right doing something like that and it was completely unprofessional of him. I remember looking over at you when he asked you to speak and I saw the fear in your eyes, it was then that I realised that you not speaking wasn't a personal attack against me, but it was a genuine fear you had.**_

_**I also want to apologise for laughing at you in the bathroom today. When I laughed, I wasn't doing it because I thought that what you wrote was funny. I laughed because I was nervous. When we were standing in the bathroom together, I wanted to apologise to you. I wanted to tell you how sorry I was for acting like a bitch, but I didn't have the courage to do that because I felt so bad and so guilty for what I had put you though.**_

_**I hope you don't think that I'm writing this note to you out of pity, because I'm not. I am genuinely sorry for what I have done, and I promise that I will apologise to you properly, but until that day comes, I hope that this is enough. I promise you that I'm never going to make fun of you again and I'm going to do whatever I can to protect you from now on, because after all, we're team-mates now.**_

_**I guess I'll see you around... in art... or Spanish... or at practice. **_

_**Santana.**_

* * *

**It's late and I'm tired, so any mistakes in this are mine! Thank you for all the alerts and reviews, I really appreciate them. **

**I hope you enjoy this update. I know that Santana is being nice to Brittany, but I promise you she is going to work for her trust and friendship and stuff like that :) I know this is quite a short update... but yeah. I thought that it was a nice way to end it and we're sort of at a turning point now for Brittany and Santana's relationship. **

**Please review! :D**

**nayalove: Thank you! I really hope you enjoyed this update :)**

**GleeLover16: Protective Quinn and Sam are the best! I actually really love the idea of Brittany, Sam and Quinn all being best friends haha!**

**the mad twin: Let's just say that Quinn might not find out for a while and when she does... she won't be happy ;)**

**My-Life-Is-In-Music: Aw thank you! I'm glad you like it and the form of writing :) I hope this update was quick enough!**

**wkgreen: Thank you! I've never written from Brittany's POV so yeah, I'm really wary about it (hence why some updates take forever) Haha, Mr Schue has always been a terrible teacher ;)**

**Pridemunkeyz: Can I just say that you're comments make my day! Anyways, you took a quiz and they told you that you were a queer man? How rude! Haha, I want to take this quiz! Angry Quinn is like the best Quinn ever! I actually love writing her so much. I don't think Sam could be scary if he tried. I mean, if he tried to stand up to someone, you'd just want to hug him! No, we can't make this Quitt haha (although that would be interesting) but I promise I'll put tons of Quitt friendship in it for you :D Ugh, who even likes Mr Schue? Like no one, that's why I had to make him so horrible in the last chapter ;) **


	7. Confusion

"There is no way that I'm helping her!" Quinn huffs as she crosses her arms protectively over her chest.

Currently, Quinn and I are sitting in Coach Sylvester's office. We're supposed to be in class right now, but Sue took me out of maths class and she got Quinn out of physics class so that she could speak to the two of us. When she called on me, I got really nervous because Coach Sylvester never calls on me for anything. I thought that maybe she was going to scream at me for skipping practice last Friday, but to my surprise, she didn't, she just told me to follow her to her office. When we arrived at her office, Quinn was already there waiting for us and I instantly relaxed because I knew Quinn wouldn't let anything bad happen to me.

"Listen Quinn, you're the head cheerleader and it's your job to help out your fellow teammates." Sue reminds her. "If I asked you to help Brittany then you would do it with no complaints, so why can't you do the same for Santana?"

As it turned out, Sue had called us into her office to ask if we could help catch Santana up on the new cheer routine that Quinn and I helped choreograph. Well, she asked Quinn to help Santana, I still have no idea why I'm here but I'm not going to complain because I really don't want to be in class right now.

"I help Brittany because she's my best friend and she's not a bitch." Quinn answers back matter of factly with a smirk firmly on her face. She uncrosses her arms and reaches out towards me, taking my hand in hers before squeezing it softly. To anyone who doesn't know Quinn and I, they would think that what Quinn is doing is somewhat weird and out of character, but it doesn't phase Coach Sylvester at all because she's so used to it.

"So you're telling me that you're refusing to help Santana?" Sue asks, making sure that she's understanding my best friend correctly.

"That is exactly what I'm saying." Quinn confirms with a nod. "I refuse to help her learn that routine. Someone else can have the misfortune of doing so."

I frown at Quinn's words when I hear them because I really don't like them. I hate it when she says means thing about anybody, but I really don't like it when she says nasty things about Santana because she doesn't even know her. I want to scold her for talking about Santana like that, but I can't because Sue is sat directly opposite us and besides, I don't even know Santana very well. Maybe she is a bitch. I'm pretty certain that she isn't though because I don't think that she would have written me an apology letter if she was. Then again, I have seen her act like a bitch and that's really scary.

Santana is confusing.

"Fine." Sue's voice brings me out of my own thoughts. "I'll get someone else to teach her." It doesn't come as a surprise that Sue has given up fighting with Quinn because even though she will probably never admit it, Coach Sue has a lot of respect for Quinn and the decisions that she makes.

Before anything else can be said, there is a loud knock on the office door. "Come in." Sue commands and within seconds, the door opens and Santana enters the room.

Despite the fact that she's wearing the exact same outfit as all the other Cheerios and that she has her hair tied up like the rest of us, I think that she looks better than anyone else on the squad. She looks pretty, just like Quinn.

"You wanted to see me Coach?" It's more of a question than a statement and it's obvious that Santana is nervous about being here. I don't blame her though, everyone is nervous when they come in here because when you're called into Sylvester's office, it's usually because she's going to shout at you.

"Lopez, you're late!" Sue states, ignoring the question completely. " I came to find you in your first class this morning and I was informed that you hadn't even bothered to show up! Where the hell have you been?"

"I had a family issue to take care of." Santana answers quietly, the sadness clear in her voice. "I'll try and not be late again. I'm sorry."

For the first time since she has been in here, Santana looks around the room and spots Quinn and I. When she does, her whole body stiffens, but she quickly regains her posture, not once breaking the eye contact that she shares with me.

As I get a closer look at her, I notice that her eyes are a little bit red and puffy. It's obvious that she's been crying. I want to stand up and hug her because that's what Quinn and Sam do to me when I'm upset but I can't do that just now because I don't know if Santana likes hugs and even if she does, I know that Quinn will be angry at me if I hug her.

"Quinn, you can go back to class now." Coach Sue eventually speaks after a few moments of silence. "I'll see you at practice this evening."

Quinn nods her head, not bothering to question Sue's instructions and stands up. Since Quinn and I are still holding hands, she pulls me up with her, drawing Santana and Coach Sylvester's attention to our clasped hands. I watch as Santana frowns at my hand in Quinn's. I don't think she likes it. I try to pull away from my best friend, but she keeps a tight grip on my hand. Maybe she doesn't realise that Santana is glaring at us? I think she does notice though because when I look over at her, she's glaring back at the Latina.

I don't like this at all.

"Brittany, sit back down." Sue orders. "I still need to speak to you about a couple of things."

I begin to panic because I don't really like the idea of interacting with Sue without Quinn being there by my side because I've never done it before and I don't know what to expect. Whenever any cheerleader gets called into Sue's office they usually get shouted at, and I don't want that to happen to myself.

"Coach, if you still need to speak to Brittany then I'd prefer it if I stayed until you're finished with her." Quinn speaks up for us. It's obvious that she feels uneasy about this and wants to be there for me if she can be. "You may as well tell me what you're going to say to her because if you don't, Brittany will just tell me all about it tonight." She adds in an attempt to persuade our cheerleading coach.

It doesn't work though. I can see it in her eyes and in her facial expression before she actually says anything. "Brittany will be fine, go back to class." Sue's voice is a lot firmer now and Quinn and I both know that there is no point in arguing with her because all it's going to do is make her angry.

"Fine!" Quinn sighs as she turns to look at me, her expression softening as she does so. "If anything happens or if you need anything then call or text me. I'm helping Rachel out with something for glee club so I won't see you until lunch, but Sam is going to be waiting outside every class for you." She informs me as she places her arms around my waist and pulls me in for a hug. "Don't take any of their crap." She whispers her advice into my ear. Her breath tickles against my skin and I have to bite down on my bottom lip to stop myself from giggling. I wonder if Quinn and Sam feel that whenever I whisper to them? I'll need to ask them later.

I don't want to reply to Quinn because there is only Santana and Sue in the room and I know that they are both trying to listen into our conversation and I'm paranoid that they will overhear something if I speak, so instead, I pull away from Quinn a little bit and place a kiss on her cheek, letting her know that I'm going to be okay.

"I'll see you later, Sweetie." Quinn squeezes me quickly before letting me go. I sit back down and watch as she walks towards the door. "Sue, if she's getting into trouble, then I'll take whatever punishment you give her." She calls over her shoulder. Sue opens her mouth to reply, but before she can even say anything, Quinn walks out, slamming the door behind her.

"Lopez, take a seat next to Brittany." Sue orders as motions towards the seat that Quinn was just sitting in. Santana obeys and crosses the room, taking a seat beside me. It's then that I realise that she has been standing there the entire time and I begin to feel bad because I could have given her my seat. "Brittany, you missed practice on Friday. I know that Quinn had detention, but you didn't. Lopez told me that you missed it because you weren't feeling well. Is that true?"

I wasn't ill on Friday, I just didn't want to go to practice. I don't want to lie to Coach Sylvester because I'm not a good liar, but at the same time, I don't want to get into trouble and I really don't want to get Santana into trouble either. If I tell Sue this, she'll get angry at me and she'll find out that Santana lied to her. I can't let that happen.

Reluctantly, I nod my head and pray that no further questions will be asked because if I have to lie any more, I'm certain that I'm going to mess it up.

"Very well." Sue says, satisfied with my answer. "I just wanted to make sure that the facts were right and no false rumours were being spread about you."

I can't help but smile at how nice Coach Sylvester is being. I know that even though she acts like she doesn't care about the girls on the squad, she does and she'll do everything she can to protect us.

"Now, there is another reason to why I have you both here." Sue announces, changing the topic of conversation. "I know that it will probably be a challenge Brittany, but I want you to teach Santana the new routine."

As I processes the information in my head, I don't know how to react to it. On one hand, I really don't want to teach Santana the new routine because even though she apologised to me and gave me a ride home on Friday, I'm a little bit scared of spending time alone with her. Also, it's going to be very hard teaching her the choreography for the new routine because I can't speak to her. However, on the other hand, I'm really excited to be helping Santana because there's something about her that draws me to her. I want to spend find with her and I want to get to know her. Even if the thought of that seems a little scary.

"Santana, you have until next Monday to learn the routine. Now I want both of you out of my sight!"

* * *

I'm walking down the corridor, turning my head from left to right as I look out for Sam or Quinn. Class has just finished and I can't find either of them. I remember Quinn telling me that she was going to be busy with Rachel, so I'm concentrating more on trying to find my other blonde best friend, but he is nowhere in sight.

I'm not exactly sure what class I have next so instead of going straight to a classroom and hoping that it's the right one, I begin to make my way to my locker to check my timetable. As I get closer to my locker, I notice two figures leaning up against it. Even though I'm so far away that I can't get a clear view of their faces, I know that it's Puck and Finn because Puck is the only guy in school with a ridiculous moehawk and Finn is the only giant at McKinley High.

In an attempt to calm my nerves, I tell myself that they're probably just standing there because they're waiting for Quinn since her locker is right next to mine, but it doesn't help. Puck and Finn aren't as stupid as people think they are and I know that they wouldn't try to corner Quinn at her locker. That's just asking for trouble. They want me, but I don't want to be near them so I turn on my heels and I start retracing my steps, hoping that they won't see me.

"Blondie, wait there!" My whole body freezes when I hear Puck shout across the hallway. Even though the hallway is quite full and there's more than one person with blonde hair here, everyone knows that he's talking to me.

I turn around slowly with my fists clenched in anticipation, bracing myself for whatever is going to happen next. I can feel my whole body shake with terror and I pray that no one else can see it and that no one else notices it because it would be embarrassing if they did.

"Did you really think that you could run away from us?" Puck sneers, his voice growing louder as he and Finn walk towards me. "Did you honestly think that we wouldn't notice you running away?"

I shake my head vigorously, indicating that I disagree with their statement. Of course I don't really believe that, but I know it's the answer that they're looking for. I quickly glance around at my surroundings and I notice that a group of people have gathered around to see what's going on. The crowd isn't as big as it usually is but I think that's because most people have already gone to their classes.

"Where is she?" Puck hisses as he takes a menacing step towards me. I automatically take a step backwards because I don't feel comfortable being that close to him. "Answer me!"

I shrug my shoulders, letting the boys know that I have no idea where Quinn is. She's either with Rachel or she's in class, but I have no way to tell them that. Even if I did, I wouldn't tell them because it's none of their business.

Puck scrunches his eyebrows up and grinds his teeth together. I don't understand how he can get so angry so easily. I haven't even done anything to him. "Finn, get her!" Before I can even begin to understand what's going on, Finn lunges forward and grabs ahold of my shoulders. He pushes me backwards until my back hits against the metal lockers, causing me to wince in pain.

"Open your damn mouth and speak, Pierce!" Finn shouts in my face and I close my eyes so that I don't have to look at him. "Why don't you shout out for Quinn to come and save you or are you too stupid to do that?"

I hear laughter coming from all directions and I feel my cheeks burning. I'm glad that my eyes are closed because it means that I can't see who is actually enjoying watching me being humiliated in front of them. I just want it to stop. I just want Quinn to save me. I want her to hug me and tell me that everything is going to be okay and I want Sam to do impressions of people from movies for me until I smile.

I just want my best friends.

"You're an embarrassment!" Finn continues to taunt me. "I always knew you were a little bit slow, but you must be really stupid if you can't even speak!"

It just shows how little people actually know about me. I can speak, I just don't want to because there are people like Finn and Puck who are going to make fun of me and call me stupid no matter what I say. I can still hear people laughing at me and I do my best to block it out, but it doesn't help. All I can hear is their laughter and I just want it to stop.

I can't deal with it.

"What the hell do you two think you're doing?" I immediately recognise the warm, raspy voice that seems to be getting closer. "Get off of her, Finn!"

I open my eyes just in time to see Santana step in front of me and push Finn in the chest, making him stumble backwards. I don't know when or how Santana got here, but right now, I don't care. I'm just glad that she's here. She's making it stop. The crowd of students that surround us are no longer laughing. Instead, they're watching the scene unfold in silence, too stunned to speak.

"I asked you two idiots a question!" Santana barks loudly at them. I can't see her face, but I guess that Santana is really angry because I can hear it in her voice. She's never shouted at anyone like this before and she has shouted at a lot of people, trust me, I've heard her.

"Calm down Santana, we're just sorting out some unfinished business." Puck answers with a smirk which makes my stomach churn. I really don't like the way that he's looking at Santana. "Why do you even care anyway?"

"I care because Brittany and I are on the Cheerios together and I wouldn't be a fucking good teammate if I just watched her get bullied by you two!" She answers angrily. I'm surprised that none of the teachers have come to interrupt what's going on because Santana is shouting really loudly at Puck and Finn and I'm sure that someone must be able to hear it.

"Santana, I th-"

"Shut the fuck up, Finn!" Santana cuts the taller boy off before he can say anything else. " Did I tell you to speak? No, I didn't. So keep your mouth closed and listen to what I have to say."

Finn quickly closes his mouth, pressing his lips together tightly..This makes Santana smirk in satisfaction. She's just won her first verbal fight at this school with a jock, which means that people will respect her more than they already do. She then turns her attention away from Finn and Puck and turns to look at the crowd that's still surrounding us.

"Get the fuck out of here now!" She growls as she takes a threatening step towards them. Immediately, everyone turns to leave because they don't want to get on Santana's bad side. They're making a good decision by doing so because I have a feeling that no one wants to ever be on Santana's bad side because she's scary when she's angry.

I close my eyes once again whilst everyone begins to leave so that I can process what has just happened. Santana saved me. She stuck up for me just like she said she would. She kept her promise.

The hallways grow quieter and I guess that means that everyone has gone to class. I want to open my eyes to check, but at the same time I don't want to because I'm scared. I'm scared of what Santana is going to say to me once I open my eyes. Is she going to ask me what happened? Is she going to pretend like nothing happened? I guess I'll never know until I open my eyes, but right now, I'm content with just keeping them closed.

"Brittany," Santana's voice rings into my ears. I can tell that she's standing close to me because her warm breath is tickling against my skin. "Open your eyes, there's nothing to be afraid of. Everyone is gone, it's just you and me."

I think that Santana might be a mind reader because she knows that I'm scared. She's just like Quinn. Quinn can do that too. Sometimes we can be sitting in silence and she knows exactly what I'm thinking about. Sam can't do it though. It must be a girl thing.

"There's nothing to be afraid of." Santana repeats, her voice is no louder than a whisper but since it's the only thing that I'm concentrating on, it sounds like she's speaking normally. "I'm the only one here, I'm not going to hurt you."

Slowly, I begin to open my eyes. I have to blink a few times to adjust to the lighting since I had my eyes so tightly shut, but after I do, I'm left staring straight into Santana's eyes. I've always thought that Santana has pretty eyes but I've never seen them this up close before. Santana doesn't have pretty eyes, she has beautiful eyes. I like them better than I like Quinn's.

I don't know what to do now since I can't speak to Santana, so I just stand there and wait for her to do something. Eventually, she opens her mouth to speak, but then closes it again since nothing comes out. I really want to hug her to thank her for saving me, but I think that she might find it a bit weird so I force my body to keep still. I don't want to scare her.

"Are you okay?" Santana asks after a few moments of silence as she reaches out and tentatively places her hand on my arm, gripping it slightly and pulling me forward so that my back is no longer pressed against the lockers.

I nod my head in reply to her question because I am okay. I'm a little shaken up, but I'm okay because I'm used to it. I watch as Santana whole body relaxes in front of me and I can't help but think that for once I have actually done something right. Although, I have no idea what I've done right because I'm fairly certain that she didn't relax just because I told her that I was okay. I mean, why would she even care? We may be on the Cheerios together, but that doesn't mean she cares about me.

"That's good." She breathes out as she redirects her gaze and looks down to the ground. "I'm glad you're okay, and I'm sorry that I didn't get here sooner."

I want to tell Santana that it's okay that she didn't get here sooner because in all honesty, it is okay. It's not her job to look out for me, and what she did was more than enough. I want to slap myself in the face and tell myself to get a grip because I really want to thank Santana for standing up for me and I also want to tell her that she has done more than enough for me and that she doesn't need to beat herself up about it.

I wish I wasn't so scared.

"We're late for class, we're both supposed to be in art right now." She tells me, breaking the silence between us once again. "Mr Zitkus will probably flip his shit at us for being late, but I think I'll be able to handle it." She adds with a chuckle, causing me to grin at her but she can't see it since she's still looking at the ground. "That is of course if you want to go back to class?"

Santana looks back up at me and waits for my answer. I really don't want to go back to class because I know that if I do, people will stare at me and start spreading rumours and I really don't want to have to deal with that just now. I know that they'll do it no natter what, but if I don't go to class then I don't have to deal with it until later. I also don't want Santana to have to deal with it either because despite the fact that she can deal with people talking about her, she shouldn't have to. I have to go back though. Sam will be waiting for me at the end of class and if I don't walk out the classroom then he'll tell Quinn that I skipped art and then she'll get angry at me, and I really don't want that to happen. I don't like it when I make Quinn angry.

Reluctantly, I nod my head, indicating that I do want to go back to class. It's such a lie and for once, I'm glad that I can't speak because I know that my voice would totally betray me right now. It would go all high an funny like it usually does when I try to lie to Sam.

"I don't want to go back either." Santana admits with a shy smile and yet again, I begin to wonder how she knows what I'm really thinking. "But we better go back, I wouldn't want to get you into any trouble."

* * *

Class has just ended and I know that Sam is already waiting outside for me because Mercedes ran out of the room as soon as the bell rang so that she could go and talk to him. The class is pretty much empty now, the only people that are left are; Mr Zitkus, Myself and Santana. I don't know why Santana is here. It is as if she's waiting on me, but I don't know why she would do that because she has never waited on me before.

"Are you going to stand there and daydream all day?" Santana's voice interrupts my thoughts and I turn to look at her. She has one hand on her hip and the other one is gripping her backpack that is slung over her left shoulder. At first I thought that she was annoyed at me for daydreaming because Quinn and Sam get annoyed at me for that sometimes, but I don't think she is because she's smiling at me. It's like she's amused by my actions.

It's time for lunch now and I'm a little disappointed by that because it means that I won't be with Santana. I've enjoyed spending time with her and I like being in her company. She treats me just like Quinn and Sam treat me and it's nice to have someone different do that for a change.

"I'll walk with you to the cafeteria?" She offers, once again breaking me out of my thoughts. "Unless you really are going to stay here and daydream."

I don't know how to respond to Santana, so I pick up my bag from the ground and throw it over my shoulder and then begin to walk towards the door. Once I'm halfway there, I look over my shoulder to find Santana staring at me curiously. I want her to walk with me to the cafeteria, so I roll my eyes playfully at her and then gesture for her to come over.

"So you do want me to walk with you to the cafeteria?" She asks once she's by my side. I think it's one of those historical questions Quinn always goes on about because before I can even nod my head, she links her arm through mine and drags me out of the class.

"Brittany!" Sam exclaims once he sees me. "What to- What is she doing here?" He questions once he notices Santana. His voice has gotten a lot firmer and colder now. I don't think he likes Santana.

"Sam, calm down." Mercedes speaks up as she takes Sam's hand in hers. "From what I have gathered, Santana was the one who saved Brittany from Finn and Puck, so don't give her any shit until you know exactly what happened."

For once, I'm glad that Mercedes always speaks her mind because she has just told Sam exactly what I was going to tell him once there was no one else around. I don't want him to be mean to Santana because she was the one who saved me, if anything, Sam should be being nice to her.

"Whatever." He huffs as he begins to head towards the cafeteria, leaving Santana and I to follow him. I shoot her an apologetic smile because of the way Sam is acting and she shrugs in response, acting as if it doesn't affect her. I'm glad she's not upset by it though because I really don't want her to be afraid of my other friends. I have a feeling that it takes a lot more than that to scare Santana, though.

"Brittany, hurry up!" Sam calls from over his shoulder, ignoring Santana's presence completely. "Quinn just text me, she's waiting for us."

If Santana wasn't right beside me, I would sigh at what Sam has just said, but I can't. So instead, I begin to walk faster to keep up with him and Mercedes and since Santana has her arm linked through mine, she has no choice but to pick up her pace too.

We arrive at the entrance to the cafeteria a few minutes later and Sam and Mercedes go straight inside, leaving Santana and I alone. I don't think Sam has realised that we've stopped following him because I'm sure that if he had, he would be back out here 'protecting' me. I understand that Quinn and Sam have to protect me from some people, but I don't think they have to protect me from Santana any more.

Slowly, I feel Santana slip her arm out of mine and when she does, I instantly miss the contact between us. I don't know why I miss the contact though, because I had completely forgotten that our arms were still linked up until now.

"You're friends are waiting for you inside." Santana speaks softly as she crosses her arms across her chest. Her voice isn't as happy as it was earlier in the classroom and it upsets me to think that I might have done something to make her upset or angry. I don't want her to be upset with me. "You better not keep them waiting. I'll see you later." With that, Santana opens the door to the cafeteria and disappears inside, leaving me alone.

Santana confuses me.

**I am so sorry for the late update! I do have a good reason for it though! School started again for me three weeks ago and as usual, the first few weeks are pretty horrible and demanding. Anyway, I had most of this update written on my laptop, but my lovely brother and sister decided to break that two weeks ago and I can't get it fixed until next month. So, I've had to write this update on my iPhone which is why it took so long. **

**Thanks for all the alerts and reviews! I really hope you enjoy this update! I apologise for not responding to any comments. I really want to, but updating on a phone is like the hardest thing ever and I can't do it just now! **

**Please review! :)**


	8. Are We Friends?

"Brittany!" I hear Quinn yell as she jogs down the hallway towards me. It's the end of the school day but since it's Tuesday, Quinn and I have Cheerios practice.

The hallways are empty since everyone has left so Quinn gets to me quickly, but she doesn't slow her pace down. Instead, she grabs my hand and locks our fingers together before pulling me down the hallways towards the changing room. I don't know why we're rushing to get there but I'm guessing it's because we're probably running late.

"Slow down, Q!" I demand as I glance around quickly to check that there is no one around. Luckily, there isn't, but I decide to keep talking quietly just in case. It's not that I mind Quinn rushing to get to practice, it's just that she's dragging me with her and it's hurting my arm. "You're hurting me."

As soon as Quinn realises that she's hurting me, she stops walking and turns to face me. "I'm so sorry!" She apologises and I can tell by the look on her face that she means

it. "We just need to hurry up and get to practice, I don't want us to be the last ones there today because Sue's in a bad mood."

"It's okay." I reply with a shrug, because it is okay, it's not like Quinn was trying to hurt me on purpose. I don't want to discuss it any further, so I start walking again with my best friend following at my side.

"Brittany…" Quinn breaks the comfortable silence between us just as I'm about to open the door to the changing room. Since there's a chance that someone from the inside could hear me or that a Cheerio could sneak up behind us at any second, I turn to look at Quinn instead of verbally replying to her. "I need to speak to you after practice… okay?"

Quinn's tone seems uncertain and it's like she's a little bit intimidated. I don't know why she'd be feeling like that, but it worries me a little bit because she's always so confident. I nod my head indicating that it's okay that she's going to talk to me after practice and then I smile at her, hoping that it might relax her. I don't know if it will, but when I'm nervous Quinn always smiles at me and it usually make me feel better so if it works on me, then it might work on her. It makes sense, right?

"Great." Quinn breathes out as her whole body un-tenses a little bit. Before anything else can be said, Quinn opens the locker room door with her free hand and pulls me in with her.

I hate walking into the locker room because whenever I do, people always turn to look at me. Today is no exception and when Quinn and I walk in hand in hand, everyone's attention turns to us. None of the Cheerios understand the relationship Quinn and I have and I know that they're all judging the two of us. I hate it and I know that Quinn does too. Instead of telling everyone to mind their own business, Quinn just glares at them all as she strolls confidently past them with her head held high. I wish I was as confident as Quinn, she really is amazing.

My best friend glares at the rest of our teammates, urging them to look away and most of them do. There's only one cheerleader that doesn't, and that's Santana.

Santana is sitting on her own in the corner of the locker room. I don't know why she's sitting on her own though because she is friends with the rest of the cheerleaders, it's like she's isolating herself from the group. Her arms are folded over her chest and she's glaring back at my best friend, but luckily she can't see it.

I keep staring at Santana because I just can't seem to look away. It's like my eyes are glued to her. She looks so angry at Quinn right now and I want to know why. I want to go over to her and ask her if she's okay, but I can't do that because I'm too scared to speak in front of her and the rest of the squad.

My thoughts are interrupted when I feel Quinn tug on my arm, forcing me to turn my whole body around to look at her. "You can daydream later, hurry up and get ready." She playfully bumps her hip against mine but because I wasn't expecting it, the force makes me stumble a few steps to the side. Luckily, Quinn still has hold of my hand and pulls me back into her body so that I don't fall over. She wraps her arms around my waist for a cuddle, but I think she's using me for support so that she doesn't fall over from laughing so much.

"I'm sorry, B!" She giggles into my shoulder, causing it to come out a bit muffled, but I can still understand her perfectly. "Is everyone staring?"

I quickly glance around the room to find that everyone is still staring at us. I know that this will annoy Quinn because she's just shown her playful side to the whole squad and that's something she never does because she always wants them to think that she's really angry and mean. I don't understand why she wants them to think that because personally, I like playful Quinn more than I like mean Quinn. Then again, I like every side to Quinn because she's my best friend and I love her.

Quinn lifts her head up slightly and I lower my head so that I can rest my forehead against hers. Once I'm sure that I have her attention, I nod my head, indicating that everyone is staring at us.

Quinn sighs and rolls her eyes at my answer. I know that she's not annoyed at me, she's annoyed at everyone else for staring at us. I don't want my best friend to be angry, so I offer her another smile that she quickly returns. I know that we need to be on the field soon, so I press a kiss to Quinn's forehead before letting her go. As soon as we separate, the rest of the Cheerios look away and Quinn smirks in satisfaction because they're still scared of her.

I look back over into the corner of the changing room and I notice that Santana's not there any more. I begin to wonder where she could have gone, but my question is answered when I hear the locker room door slam shut. I want to follow her and find out what's wrong with her, but I can't. Quinn would probably get angry if I did that and I don't think Santana would even tell me what was wrong with her if I found a way to ask her.

"Everyone, out to the field!" Quinn commands and before I know it, I'm being swept along with the rest of the girls towards the field.

* * *

Practice is now over and I'm waiting for Quinn to come out of the shower so that she can talk to me. There's no one else left in the changing room since Quinn and I are running late because we got held behind by Sue to talk about a few things. Well, Sue and Quinn talked, I just listened. I'm glad that there is no one else here though because it means that I can talk to Quinn without having to worry too much.

"B, are you still here?" Quinn calls to me once she's turned the water off. I find it funny that Quinn's asking if I'm still here, because of course I am. I have to be here because Quinn is giving me a ride home from school.

"Yeah, I'm here." I answer back, just loud enough so that she can hear. I know that there probably isn't anyone about that can hear me, but you can never be too careful.

"I was just checking, you've been awfully quiet." She states as she walks out of the shower cubicle with just a towel around her body.

"Sorry." I apologise shyly. "I've been thinking." It's true, I have been thinking. I've been thinking a lot during practice, but I don't think I should tell Quinn that because she'll tell me that I'm supposed to be focussing on the routines instead of anything else.

"What have you been thinking about?" She asks as she takes a seat next to me on the bench.

I've been thinking about Santana. I've been thinking about how she stormed out of here earlier and how during practice she didn't even smile back at me when I smiled at her. I think I must have done something to upset her, but I don't know what I could have done. Maybe she's realised that looking out for me is going to be harder than she thought, so she's given up? That sounds about right, but that's okay, if that's her decision then I'll accept it.

"Nothing important." I answer back quickly. Santana is important, but I don't want to talk about her with Quinn. "I'm just thinking about Courtney."

"I've not seen her in a while." She comments with a frown. "How is she?" It makes me happy that Quinn is asking about my sister because the two of them get along very well. Quinn is like a big sister to both of us.

"She's good." I answer. "I'm taking her shopping this weekend, do you want to come with us?" Courtney and I were supposed to go last week but we had to reschedule because of my mom's work, but it's okay because I love going shopping with Quinn because she always picks out nice clothes for the two of us and I'm sure that she could do the same for Courtney.

"I'll need to check to see if I have plans with Rachel, but if I don't, then I'd love to come." We sit in silence for a moment because we don't have anything else to say to each other about going shopping. The silence isn't awkward though, it's peaceful. I don't think Quinn and I could ever have an awkward silence because we know each other so well.

"Brittany, I need to talk to you." Quinn tells me, turning on the bench so that her body is facing me. She's looking down at the ground and I can tell that once again, she's nervous. I reach over and take Quinn's hand in mine and squeeze it softly, urging her to continue. "Yesterday, at lunch, you disappeared. I heard that Puck and Finn cornered you in the corridor and I just want to make sure you're okay."

I tense up a little bit when I realise that Quinn wants to talk about what happened between me, Puck and Finn, but luckily she doesn't notice. I don't know how much Quinn has heard, so I decide that I'm not going tell her anything about Santana saving me unless she brings it up. I don't want to keep secrets from her, but I know Quinn won't be happy with Santana helping me out. It's just easier for everyone if I lie about it. One secret won't hurt, will it?

"I'm fine." I reply quietly as I focus my gaze on mine and Quinn's clasped hands. "It's nothing I'm not used to."

"What did they do?" She presses further. I know that Quinn is trying to get me to tell her my side of the story because she's probably heard tons of gossip about it from everyone at school. If anyone else was prying into my business, it would annoy me but because it's Quinn it's fine because I know that she's doing it because she cares about me.

"They cornered me, pushed me up against the lockers and demanded me to speak to them." I tell her with a shrug. It's nothing more than what they usually do so it doesn't surprise me when the information doesn't phase my best friend at all. "They were looking for you again." I add so that she knows exactly what Finn and Puck wanted.

"Shit." She breathes out as she runs her free hand through her damp hair. "It's all my fault. I thought that after last time that they'd leave you alone."

"It's okay." I reassure Quinn as I shuffle closer to her and place my arm around her shoulder in an attempt to comfort her. "It's not your fault."It really isn't her fault, she doesn't tell Puck and Finn to pick on me. She tells them not to, but they don't listen to her.

"It is my fault." She disagrees as she shakes her head. "Maybe if Rachel and I sit down and talk to Finn and Puck about everything, then they'll leave you alone." I can tell that she's uncomfortable with her suggestion and that makes me feel bad. Even though I'd love for Quinn and Rachel to talk to the two of them, I don't want them to do it of it makes them uncomfortable.

"Do you think you're ready to do that?" I ask her to which she shakes her head quickly from side to side. "Well then, you don't have to." As much as I would love the bullying from Puck and Finn to stop, I'd rather deal with it than have Quinn feeling uncomfortable about it all.

"Are you sure?" She asks, turning her head to look at me properly. I nod and do my best to mask my disappointment. I don't want Quinn feeling more guilty than she already is. "Thanks, B."

"It's okay, I'll be fine. I have you and Sam to look out for me." I don't know if I still have Santana looking out for me because I think that I've upset her, but even without her, I feel safe with just Quinn and Sam. They're my best friends, I know that they're going to keep me safe.

"About that," She says as she shifts around on the bench. I want to tell her that she should probably get changed and we can continue this conversation later because she's going to get cold, but I trust that Quinn knows what she's doing so I decide not to question it. "Sam and I weren't there yesterday. Who helped you out?"

I open my mouth to say something, but I can't think of the words that I want to say so I close it again. What am I supposed to say? "No one saved me." I blurt out in panic as I close my eyes so I don't have to look at my best friend because I know that if I do, she'll see right through me.

"Don't lie to me, Brittany." Her tone is a lot firmer than it has been during our conversation and I know that she knows about Santana.

"I'm not lying." I insist. I know it's a lame attempt at getting her to believe me, but I don't care. I don't want to talk about Santana with her. "No one saved me." I tell her once more, keeping my voice as firm as I can.

"Really?" She challenges. "Because I heard that Santana stuck up for you." She spits out Santana's name like its something poisonous and for some reason, that annoys me. "Did she stick up for you?"

"Why do you need to know?" I question back defensively, avoiding the question as I open my eyes. I think that Quinn knows that I'm purposely not answering, but I don't care. I need time to think of a good answer.

"I need to know because you're my best friend and I love and care about you very much, Brittany." She confesses, her voice sounds thick and it seems as if she's going to cry which surprises me because Quinn isn't someone who ever gets emotional. "Did she or did she not stick up for you when Puck and Finn cornered you in the hallway?"

"Santana did stick up for me." I confirm through gritted teeth. I'm annoyed now because I didn't want to talk to Quinn about Santana and now I have to.

"That bitch!" Quinn growls, causing me to move away from her a little bit. I'm confused because I thought that even though they didn't like each other, Quinn would be happy that someone stuck up for me. "Who does she think she is?"

"Why are you angry that she stuck up for me?" I ask curiously with a tiny hint of anger in my voice. Santana helped me so she should be thanking her, she shouldn't be freaking out about it.

"Because it's not her job!" Quinn cries out in frustration as she throws her arms up in the air. "She has bullied you since she got here and now she's saving you! She can't do that!"

I'm getting even more annoyed now and I don't know why. It scares me because I never get angry at Quinn. The only time that I do is when she tries to make me speak in front of people who are paying attention to me and that doesn't happen very often. "At least someone stuck up for me!" I snap back at her before I can stop myself.

"What's that supposed to mean?" She raises her eyebrows at me. Even though she's trying not to show it, I can tell that she's upset by my statement. I can see it in her eyes and it makes me feel bad. I shouldn't have said it.

"Nothing." I whisper in defeat. "It means nothing." I repeat as I stand up from the bench. I don't want to fight with Quinn. I don't want to upset her any more. I just need to get out of here. "I'll see you tomorrow, I'm going home."

Quinn's supposed to be giving me a ride home, but I don't care. I'm just going to walk home because the two of us need our space right now. I grab my backpack and throw it over my right shoulder before storming out of the locker room.

* * *

My house is only a twenty minute walk away from the school and since it's a nice day, I don't mind walking home. Although, I do wish that I had my motorcycle or car with me because my leg and arm muscles are hurting from practice.

No one knows that I ride a motorcycle except from Quinn and Sam. When I was younger, my dad used to work as a mechanic and whenever I went into the garage to see him, he'd always have a motorcycle to fix. So when I was old enough to drive one, I got my license. However, my mom doesn't let me ride it to school because she says it's not practical. I don't know what she means by that, but I don't argue with her. It's too much hassle to do that.

I have a car as well and sometimes I drive that, but I don't like it very much. It's not because it doesn't look nice, because it does, it's a really nice car. It's just that it's such a nice car that it draws a lot of attention to me when I drive it and I don't like that.

"Brittany!" I hear my name being called, which breaks me out of my thoughts, and I turn around in the school parking lot to see who is shouting on me. I pray that it's not Quinn because I really don't want to deal with her right now. I doubt it is her though because when I left her in the locker room, she was still in a towel and I'm pretty sure that it takes her longer than a few minutes to get changed.

I scan the nearly empty car park to find Santana making her way over to me. My stomach starts to feel funny as she gets closer and I think that it's because I'm both nervous and excited about Santana coming over to speak to me. I can't seem to keep my body still, so I begin to walk towards her too so that we meet in the middle.

"Hi." She breathes out once we both stop in front of each other. I watch as Santana reaches into her pocket and a second later, she pulls out her phone and hands it to me.

_'Hi :)'_ I type back quickly before handing the phone back to her.

"How are you?" She asks as she places the phone back into my hands. It amazes me that Santana actually wants to have a conversation with me because no one except from Quinn, Sam and Courtney ever do.

_'Okay I guess, how are you?'_ I watch as Santana mouths the words on screen and then how she frowns at them like she's confused by them but I don't understand how she could be because there's nothing confusing about them.

"Okay? Are you sure?" She questions as she looks back up at me. Her eyes are wide and her lips are pulled into a thin line, it's like she actually cares about me. "I'm okay, I just finished getting some stuff from my locker and now I'm heading home." She adds as an afterthought when she remembers that I had also asked her a question.

I take the phone back from Santana and then type my reply to her._ 'Im fine, I'm just a bit angry at Quinn right now.' _

"Do you want to talk about it?" She asks, but suddenly her eyes go wider than they already are and it makes her look like she's seen a ghost. "Shit! I'm sorry! I didn't mean it like that! I'm sorry I hope I haven't offended you, Brittany."

It finally clicks into place and I realise that she had asked if I wanted to talk about it even though I can't. It doesn't offend me because I know what she was meaning by it and I guess that technically I could talk about it if I tried hard enough.

_'Its okay, I'm not offended by what you said. I understand. I don't know if I want to talk about it.'_ In all honestly I do want to talk about it, but I don't know if it's a good idea to speak about it with Santana since it's about her.

Santana reads the message and she relaxes and lets out a sigh of relief when she realises that I'm not annoyed with her. "I know we're not close or anything and I know that you have no reason to trust me, but if you ever want to speak to me then you can." She tells me as she offers me a shy smile.

It takes me a second to register what Santana is saying because I don't think anyone has ever been so kind to me. Well, I'm sure Quinn and Sam have, but right now, they don't count. Ever since I stopped talking, people stopped trying to get to know me or be my friend, but now Santana is here and is trying to get to know me. It's refreshing and I really like it.

_'Thanks :)'_ It's a lame reply. I know that, but I can't think of anything else to put.

"It's no problem." She shrugs as she turns her head to look around the parking lot. "Are you going home now?"

'_Yeah, I'm just about to walk home'_

"I can give you a ride home if you want? I'm not busy anyway and it'll give me something to do instead of going home." She offers as she begins to nervously play with the pleats of her skirt.

'_That would be awesome :)' _

I know that I probably shouldn't accept a ride home from someone I barely know, but I've ridden with Santana before. So that makes it okay, right?

"Come on then, let's go!" Like yesterday in the art classroom, Santana links her arm through mine and we start walking towards her car.

* * *

The ride back to my house was quiet, but it's not like I expected anything else. Currently, Santana is parked outside my house and we're both staring at each other. I don't know what to do because I'm not sure if Santana wants to say something to me before I go.

When she doesn't say anything, I pull out my phone from my pocket and I begin to type out a message to her.

'_Do you maybe want to come inside and hang out for a while?'_

I don't know what made me ask Santana that, but I really want her to say yes because I want to spend time with her.

She reads over the message a few times, mouthing the words as she does so. I like it when she does that because it's like she's paying extra attention to me. "Sure." She eventually replies with a smile. "That sounds like fun."

Santana and I both get out of the car and make our way up the steps to my house. As we walk, the nervous feeling that I always get when I'm with Santana begins to creep back into my stomach, but only this time, it's stronger. I think that it's because Santana is coming into my house to hang out with me and no one has ever done that before, well Quinn and Sam have, but they don't count. I open the door to my house and gesture for Santana to walk inside. When she does, I follow closely behind her and close the door once we're both standing in the hallway.

"Brittany, you're late!" I hear my mother's voice ring throughout the house. I can also hear the sound of her heels hitting off the wooden floor getting louder and louder with each step, and I can tell that she's getting closer. "Where have you been?" She demands as she comes to an abrupt stop in the hallway once she sees that I have company. She looks at me, then looks at Santana, and then she looks back to me again with her mouth hanging slightly open. "Brittany, who is this?"

"I'm Santana Lopez." Santana introduces herself before I can even take my notebook out of my backpack to write my mom a note. I'm glad that Santana answered the question instead of me because I'm sure that my mom will be nicer to her than she is to me whenever I answer any of them.

"I'm Brittany's mother." My mom replies as she sticks her right hand out for Santana to shake. My mom hasn't told Santana to shake her hand and I'm worried that Santana doesn't know what she's supposed to do, but luckily she does and she shakes my mom's hand. "I'm not meaning to sound rude, but what are you doing here?"

I feel my cheeks getting hotter and I shift uncomfortably in embarrassment because even though my mom doesn't want to sound rude, she does sound rude, and I don't want her to be rude to Santana. I think that maybe I should answer the question since I was the one who invited Santana here, but once again, Santana starts answering the question for me.

"Brittany invited me over to hang out." Santana tells her politely with a smile. I've never seen this nice side to Santana before and I really like it. It suits her. "If your family is busy, I'll come back another time." I really hope we're not busy because I want Santana to stay for a while. I don't think we will be busy though because we never do anything as a whole family. It's usually just me and Courtney.

"Oh no, you can stay. I was just about to leave anyway, my work has called me back in." I'm relived when I hear that Santana can stay, but I'm disappointed when I learn that my mom is going back to work. She finished her work at three o'clock today, she shouldn't be going back in two hours later. "You want to spend time with my daughter, are you sure you want to do that?"

"Yes I'm sure." Santana answers with a small frown. It's like she's confused and angry about what my mom just said, but I don't understand why she would be. I mean, all she asked was if she was sure that she wanted to hang out with me. That's not bad, is it? "Is there a reason to why I shouldn't be sure?"

"As you may know Brittany doesn't speak?" Santana nods her head in reply to my mother's question, indicating that she does know that I can't speak. I don't really like where this conversation is going and I want to tell my mother not to say anything else, but I know that if I write her a note, she'll just ignore it. She does that a lot. "Well, I'd just like to let you know that Brittany is capable of talking, so don't feel sorry for her."

I can't believe my mom just said that. I'm so embarrassed right now that I want to just disappear. I'm sure Santana already knew that I was able to talk since she had seen me talk to Courtney that night at Breadstix , but it's not the point. I glance over at Santana who is now standing with her mouth hanging open a little bit, I think that she's shocked about what my mom said too.

"I'm not hanging out with Brittany because I feel sorry for her." Santana states quietly and calmly after a moment of silence. "Brittany and I are on the Cheerios together and she seems like a nice person, that's why I'm hanging out with her." It makes me really happy when I hear Santana say that because it makes me think that maybe she does want to be my friend. I mean, you wouldn't willingly hang out with someone if you didn't want to be their friend, right?

"Very well." My mom sighs as she glances at the time on her watch. "I need to leave now. Brittany, here is some money for dinner. Your sister is in her room watching tv, she has homework to do so make sure she gets it done. I don't know when I'll be back, so lock up before you go to bed." My mom hands me money along with a list of things I need to do tonight. It's not a long list, all it tells me to do is to feed Lord Tubbington and to make Courtney to do her homework. I don't know why she just didn't tell me to do those things herself, because it's not like I'm going to forget them.

"Do you understand what you've been asked to do?" She asks me once I have folded the money and the list up and put it into my Cheerios jacket pocket. I nod my head, indicating that I do understand and my mom smiles at me, but it's not a nice smile, it's like she's forced it. "I'll see you later." She walks straight past Santana and I and opens the front door, but before she exits, she turns around to face us once more. "I'll probably not see you again Santana, people usually don't bother with Brittany and to be honest, I can understand why. You'll get bored eventually. Goodbye."

The front door slams shut, but I stay firmly in my place. I can't believe my mom just said that to Santana. Does she not want me to have any friends? I know that her words should hurt me, but they don't. Not right now anyway, I'm sure that they will later. My whole body feels numb and I don't know what to do. I don't know if I can even turn to look at Santana because I'm scared to know what she thinks about all of this. I scrunch my eyes shut tightly and take a deep breath in. I don't know what I'm supposed to do now. If Sam was here, he'd be able to sort this situation out. He's good at things like that.

"Brittany…" Santana breathes out as she thinks of what to say next. "I-I'm not like that." She stutters out loud. I open my eyes just in time to see her shift uncomfortably on the spot, and I begin to feel bad for putting her in a situation like this. "I want to get to know you." She tells me a little bit more confidently. "I want to bother with you."

* * *

**So, I updated quicker this time! It's still not ideal that I'm updating like 2 weeks later, but I'm still without a laptop and it looks like its gonna be that way for a while :( So yeah, it will probably be fortnightly updates for a while and I apologise for that. **

**All mistakes in this are mine, so sorry if there is any! **

**Thank you for all the alerts and reviews from the last update. I'm glad you enjoyed it and I hope you enjoy this one too! The next chapter will continue straight on from this one, so you'll get to see what happens when Brittana hang out and stuff… yay! I promise, there will be lots of awesome Brittana! **

**Please review, they make me happy and I'll love you forever! **

**Rosetoast: Brittany teaching Santana how to dance will start in the next chapter! The two of them will definitely have a special bond and I think that has started to develop at the end of this chapter, and it will be more apparent in the next one :) **

**Wkgreen: Well, let's jut hope she can do that! Although, I have a feeling they might need a lot of convincing. **

**NayNay1963: Thank you for they review! I actually have a few ideas running through my head for that, but I have nothing set yet. We'll just have to wait and see :) **

**Dagleek: Thank you! I'm so annoyed I have to write it on my phone, it takes so long! I hope you enjoyed the update :) **

**Nayalove: Thank you, don't worry there won't be any more sad Santana for a few chapters **

**The mad twin: Honestly, I don't think it'll be for a while. You'll just have to wait and see (: **

**Pridemunkeyz: You're reviews never fail to make me smile. I'm glad you liked the updates, I hope you like this one too. I am so angry about my laptop! It's costing like 150 - 200 to get it fixed, so in just saving for a new one. Yeah, Brittany isn't exactly a people person, and that will be made clearer in the future chapters. I always feel bad when I add the Quitt bits in because it's a Brittana story lol, but it's just so cute! Quitt are adorable though, and they'll be staying like that until the end lol :) **

**NEid93: I feel bad for making you cry! I'm sorry! Aw thank you, that really means a lot! I hope you like this update :)**


	9. George and Georgina

"Brittany…" Santana breathes out as she thinks of what to say next. "I-I'm not like that." She stutters out loud. I open my eyes just in time to see her shift uncomfortably on the spot, and I begin to feel bad for putting her in a situation like this. "I want to get to know you." She tells me a little bit more confidently. "I want to bother with you."

I want to believe her, but I don't know if I can. Why would she want to bother with me? I'm not anything special. No one ever wants to bother with me, so it makes no sense that Santana wants to. I begin to think that maybe Santana is only being nice to me because she's trying to play a cruel joke on me. That makes more sense, it wouldn't surprise me if that's what she is doing.

I don't know what to do now. I can't kick Santana out when I just invited her into my house, that would be rude, but at the same time, I don't think I want her here just in case she is playing a cruel joke on me. I lift my gaze up from the floor and look up at Santana. She's staring back at me, waiting for me to do something. I still don't know what to do though, so I stay motionless.

"Brittany, do you want me to go home?" Santana asks softly as she takes a step towards me. "I can go if you want to be left alone." She brings her hand up and rests it on my arm, making it feel funny. I like it when she does that because it's a nice funny feeling. I think Santana might be magic because I've never felt that feeling with anyone else, not even Quinn.

I can't let Santana leave, that would be rude. Plus, I have to work out a time with Santana so that we can practice the routine that I'm supposed to teach her. She can't leave yet. I don't want her to.

I shake my head from side to side, indicating that I want her to stay. She smiles at this and her grip on my arm tightens a bit, but it doesn't hurt. It's like she wants to be close to me. I don't think that's right though because no one ever wants to be close to me, except from Sam and Quinn, but they don't count.

I lead Santana into the kitchen and motion for her to sit down on one of the stools at the island. As she does so, she removes her hand from my arm and the funny feeling disappears, disappointing me a little bit because I really liked it. Since I still have my backpack on, I slide it off my shoulders, open it up and pull out my notepad and pen. I know that I'm going to have to communicate with Santana, but I don't know what to say to her.

I want to tell her that she shouldn't listen to my mother and I'm sorry for how rude she was, but I just can't seem to get the words down onto the paper. It's just too hard and it frustrates me because if I wasn't so scared to speak, I could just tell Santana this myself.

"Brittany," Santana's voice causes me to look up at her. I really like Santana's voice because whenever she speaks to me it's warm, gentle and smooth. If voices could be food, then Santana's would definitely be chocolate because its exactly like that. "I- Don't be embarrassed about what your mom said." She tells me and I don't really know what she means by that. I think she notices the blank expression on my face because she speaks again, continuing further. "I want to hang out with you. I'm not doing it because I have to or because I feel sorry for you. I want to get to know you."

I want to believe her, I really do, but I don't know if I can. It just makes no sense. Why would anyone ever want to hang out with me? My mom said it herself, I don't have many friends because people get bored of me not being able to speak to them.

I don't think I'm even hearing Santana right because I'm sure she just said that she wanted to spend time with me and that she wanted to get to know me. She's doing it because she wants to, not because she had to and this amazes me because hardly anyone interacts with me unless they have to.

I don't know why I'm supposed to reply with, so I scribble down a _'Thank you :)'_ It's stupid, I know it is, but I just can't think of anything else to put down.

Santana just simply smiles at me, so I smile back at her because it's the polite thing to do. It would be rude if I didn't, right? I want to write something else to Santana, but before I can, Courtney comes bounding into the kitchen, coming to an abrupt stop when she notices Santana. It surprises me that I didn't notice Courtney coming down the stairs because I usually hear and see everything. I guess I was just too busy with Santana to notice.

Courtney seems a little bit shocked that Santana is here, but I don't blame her because I never bring anyone home. Sometimes, I bring Quinn and Sam home, but I don't do it often because Sam works and is with Mercedes a lot and my mom doesn't like it when Quinn is here. I don know why she doesn't like her here because she used to, but then after my father died and she started working a lot more, she stopped liking her.

"What are you doing here?" Courtney asks as she comes and stands in front of me. I'm glad that she's smaller than me because it means that I can still see Santana, but I do wish that Courtney wouldn't stand in from of me because she doesn't have to, she has nothing to protect me from.

I quickly sidestep around my sister and stand next to her before nudging her in the side. I don't want we to be rude to Santana because my mom was just rude to her and I really don't want Santana thinking that I have a rude family, because I don't.

"Your sister invited me over to hang out." Santana answers with ease. I don't think Santana noticed that Courtney was being rude to her, or if she did she isn't saying anything about it. I'm thankful for that because I really don't want the two of them to fight with each other.

"Okay." Courtney drawls out slowly as she looks from me to Santana, and then back to me again. I'm pretty sure she's trying to figure out what's going on between the two of us and I have a feeling that she won't be able to do that. I don't even know what's happening, so there's no way that my little sister does. "What's for dinner?" She eventually asks, changing the subject completely.

I shrug my shoulder because I really have no idea what we're going to eat, and show her the money that my mom gave me before she went to work. I reach over the work top for my notebook and pen and scribble down a reply to her._ 'I was thinking pizza. What about you?'_

"We had pizza last week!" She pouts. "Can we not have something else?" I totally forgot we had pizza last week, that was a stupid thing for me to forget because it is not even hard to remember.

_'Yeah, we can have something else.' _I give the paper back over to my little sister and she grins at me in satisfaction. I like it when Courtney's happy because it makes me feel like I'm a good big sister. I don't think I am a very good big sister to Courtney though, because I'm not normal. Well, I am normal, but other people don't think that. Maybe if I just stop being so stupid and speak to other people then I would be a better big sister. I wish I could do that for Courtney. However, it's not as simple as that.

"Is Santana staying for dinner?" Courtney asks, tilting her head to the side curiously. Santana has been so quiet that I forgot she was even here, I'm glad my sister reminded me because I wouldn't want Santana to think that I had forgotten about her.

I shrug my shoulders again because I don't know if Santana wants to stay for dinner or not. I know that I should at least invite her to stay because that's the polite thing to do when you have guests over at your house.

_'Do you want to stay for dinner?' _I slide the notebook over the island countertop and watch as Santana reads it. As usual, she mouths all of the words and I can't help but look at her lips as she does so. They're so mesmerising.

"I wouldn't want to impose…" Santana speaks as she looks up from the piece of paper, shooting me an apologetic smile as she does so.

"You're not imposing." Courtney tells Santana before I can grab the notebook back an write back to her myself. "You should stay for dinner." I nod my head in agreement with my sister's statement to show my support. It would be fun to have Santana staying over for dinner because sometimes Courtney and I get lonely.

"Okay!" Santana sighs dramatically in defeat, causing Courtney to laugh at her. I worry when she does this though because I'm scared that Santana might get angry at her for laughing since that's what she does at school, but instead, she just laughs along with her. "I guess I'll stay for dinner."

* * *

After dinner, Courtney, Santana and I all go through to the family room to watch the tv. Dinner went well, Santana ordered Chinese food for us all and then, throughout dinner, she talked to Courtney. It turns out that the two of them get along very well and this makes me happy because Courtney doesn't have many friends and it makes me think that now, maybe Santana will want to be her friend. However, I don't know if Santana will be her friend because Santana isn't a very friendly person towards most people. I'll have to ask her if she'll be friends with my sister.

"Brittany, can you come and help me with my homework?" Courtney asks me, breaking me out of my own thoughts.

As well as watching the tv, Courtney is also doing her homework. Usually, my mom makes Courtney do her homework in the kitchen, but since she's not here and Santana and I were hanging out in the front room, I decided to let her come too. If my mom finds out about this, then she'll be super angry, so I'll have to get Santana to promise not to tell her.

I stand up from the couch that I'm sitting on and silently sigh to myself. It's not that I have a problem with helping my little sister out, because I don't. It's just that I have a hard time reading and making sense of things in my head, and I don want Santana to think that I'm stupid. I lay down next to Courtney on the floor and look over at her homework. It's math and even though it should be easy for me, it still looks like number soup. I can feel Courtney and Santana's eyes on me and I begin to panic, my face heating up in embarrassment.

Why do I have to be so stupid?

Why can't I be smart enough to help Courtney with her homework?

"Can you help me or not, Brittany?" Courtney questions, growing inpatient. I don't think I've been looking at her homework for long, but my sister is like my mom and they both hate waiting. I close my eyes and take a deep breath in before letting it out and opening my eyes again, in an attempt to calm me down. I look back at her homework sheet and it still makes no sense.

Why can't I understand it?

"Is everything okay?" Santana asks as she gets up from her seat and cautiously kneels down next to me. I didn't want this to happen. Santana isn't supposed to know how stupid I am. "Brittany, are you okay?" Her hand lands softly on my shoulder, but I'm too busy being embarrassed to take notice of the warm and fuzzy feeling that exists when she does this. I quickly cover Courtney's homework up do that Santana can't see it.

She doesn't need to know how stupid I am.

"She's fine." Courtney spits out, answering for me. Usually, I like it when my sister speaks for me but right now, I don't like it because she's angry and frustrated and isn't saying what I want her to be saying. "She's just too stupid to help me."

As soon as the words leave her mouth my whole body goes numb, and before I can even register what is actually happening, Courtney snatches the homework from my hands. The paper glides easy out of my hand, slicing my palm as it does so, and I have to bite down on my lower lip to stop myself from yelling out in pain. It's as if time is moving slowly and I watch helplessly as my little sister hands the paper to Santana. I watch as the Latina's big brown eyes scan over it and I watch as her eyebrows scrunch together.

She knows I'm really stupid now.

I can't deal with it.

I scramble up from my place on the floor and run out of the front room and up the stairs. My bedroom door is already open, so I run in and slam it shut behind me. Lord Tubbington is lying on my bed but he jumps off it and drags himself into the corner of the room as I approach it. Usually, we share my bed, but right now, I'm too sad to bribe him with food to get him to jump back up. I collapse face first down onto my bed and I screw my eyes shut to stop myself from crying. I don't want to cry. Not when Santana is here.

My eye trick doesn't work though, because before I know it, tears are rolling down my cheeks and are falling onto my pillows. I can't believe Courtney called me that. She never calls me that. She didn't even call me it the day my mom got rid of the rule about saying the words idiot and stupid in the house. She said it in front of Santana and that makes everything worse because I really wanted Santana to be my friend, but she won't be my friend now that she knows how stupid I am.

There's a knock on my door and I decide to ignore it. It's probably just Courtney telling me that Santana has gone home because she's disgusted at how stupid I am. I don't want to see Courtney right now because I'm mad at her, so when she knocks again, I ignore it.

"Brittany? Can I come in?" I freeze when I notice that it is not my sister who is outside my bedroom door. It's Santana. She hasn't left. Yet. "Shit! You can't answer that!" I hear her scold to herself. It makes me smile a little bit. "Uhm… Brittany, I'm going to come in to see if you're okay, but if you want me to leave just, like, throw something at me so I get the message."

I hear my bedroom door creak open and then closed again. I want to look at Santana, but I don't want her to see that I've been crying, so I keep my face buried into my pillows. Her footsteps are getting louder with each step she takes and I can tell that she's getting closer. Suddenly, my bed dips in the middle of the right side and I can vaguely smell Santana's scent. Everything clicks into place and I realise that Santana is sitting next to me on my bed.

Giving in to temptation, I turn my head slightly to the left and I see Santana looking at me. I really like looking at Santana, so I don't break eye contact with her. Instead, I watch her and wait for her to say something.

"I came to check up on you." She tells me, answering my unasked question. "You seemed pretty upset about what your sister said and I just wanted to mask sure that you were okay." I don't know why Santana cares but I really like that she does because it makes me feel special.

I smile weakly at Santana, hoping that she understands that this is my way of saying thank you to her. I think she does because she smiles back at me before scooting up the bed a little bit more.

"You know, I'm not very good at math." Santana says, keeping her gaze on me. "I can do it but sometimes I make mistakes. That okay though because people learn from their mistakes." I don't know why she's telling me this, but I have a feeling it's because the homework that I was trying to help Courtney with was math. That's not the point though, it's nice to hear that I'm not the only one that isn't good at math.

"Do you know what's good though?" She continues, capturing my attention once again. "That if you're not very good at something, you can get a tutor. Do you have a tutor for anything?"

I nod my head because I do have a tutor. Quinn tutors me, but she only tutors me for classes that we share together. We used to do it for every class, but then she got too busy with Rachel so we decided that she'd just tutor me in the classes that we had together.

"You do?" She raises her eyebrows up in interest. "Who is it?" Santana hands me her phone so that I can answer her and I'm glad that she gave me it because I don't have my phone or notebook with me right now.

_'My tutor is Quinn.' _I type before I hand the phone back to her. As usual, Santana mouths the words and I can't help but stare at her lips as she does so. I think that this is one of my favourite things about interacting with her.

"Does Quinn tutor you in every subject?" She presses further as she hands her phone back to me. It confuses me to why Santana wants to know all of this, but I don't question it because I don't mind answering her questions. It's nice to know that someone has taken an interest in me.

I shake my head from side to side, indicating that she doesn't tutor me in every subject. Santana keeps staring at me and it makes me a little nervous, so I start playing with the phone in my hand. I guess she doesn't have any more questions to ask about Quinn tutoring me because she hasn't asked any more.

"Is this yours?" The Latina reaches across my bed and picks up my purple unicorn pillow pet. I don't know why she's so interested in it, but I guess it's because she's trying to change the subject or something.

I nod my head, avoiding her eyes as I do so. I'm embarrassed to admit that the unicorn is mine because no one except from my mom, Courtney, Quinn and Sam know about it and all of them think it's silly. I don't think it is silly though, it has a very special meaning to me, but neither of my friends know this and my mom and Courtney always forget it.

"It's nothing to be embarrassed about." Santana says once she notices that my cheeks have gone a few shades darker. "Do you want to know a secret?" I nod my head eagerly. I want to know a secret because no one except from Sam, Quinn, Courtney and Lord Tubbington ever tell me them. "I have a pink unicorn pillow pet."

At first, I think that maybe Santana is playing a joke on me, but when I look at her face, I can tell that she's being completely serious. It makes me happy knowing that I have something in common with her.

_'Mines is called George, does yours have a name?' _I think that maybe this is the first conversation I've had with Santana that has nothing to do with Quinn, cheerleading, school or the fact that I can't speak. I really like it. It's refreshing.

"Yeah, uhm, mines has a name." She answers with a hint of uncertainty in her voice. "Her name is…" She trails off as she think of her name. It doesn't bother me that it is taking her a few seconds to think of the name because sometimes, I forget names and it takes me a while to remember them. "Her name is Georgina."

Georgina is a nice name and I really like that it matches with George. Our unicorns could be twins. I sit up on my bed, giving Santana more space, and reach out to pet my unicorn which the girl next to me is still holding. It's relaxing.

"Do you want to hear a story about Georgina?" Santana suddenly asks and once again, I nod my head eagerly because not many people tell me stories. Santana simply smiles at me and shifts around a bit so that she is comfortable before starting.

"There once was a unicorn called Georgina and she lived in Florida with her family. Now, even though Georgina was a unicorn, no one else at her school was and because of that she did her best to hide her identity. Everyone at Georgina's school reminded her of zebras because they were all such black and white characters that were set in their ways, but Georgina copied everything they did in an attempt to hide her identify. She had to. She copied what they wore, what they ate, what they said, and what they did. She copied everything she could and for a while, blending in worked. Th-"

"Brittany, can you help me get ready for bed?" Courtney shouts throughout the house, cutting Santana off. My sister's voice makes me jump because I was so engrossed in the story that I forgot that she was still in the house. I look at the time to see that it is quarter past eight. I don't know when it got so late. I guess spending time with Santana makes it go faster.

"Go and help her." Santana chuckles at the interruption. "I'll wait here and we can continue the story another time." Reluctantly, I drag myself off my bed and make my way out of my room, closing the door behind me. I'm still upset with Courtney and I don't really want to see her, but I know I have to help her get ready for bed because I'm her big sister and that's my job.

When I get to her room, I find my sister already in her pyjamas, putting a movie into her DVD player. The rule for bedtime is that Courtney has to be in bed for eight but she'd allowed to watch a movie or read a book until nine. I walk further into the room so that she'll notice me, closing the door as I do so. I don't usually close the doors, but since Santana is here, I know I need to be extra careful. She can't hear me speak because if she does, she'll make fun of me. Just like everyone else.

Once Courtney notices me, she walks back over to her bed and lies down under the blankets, not making any eye contact with me. I think it's because she feels bad for what she said earlier.

"Have you brushed your teeth?" I ask her quietly. I probably don't have to speak this quietly since both mine and Courtney's bedroom doors are closed, but I don't want to take any chances.

"Yeah." She answers, nodding her head sheepishly as she does so. Since she's ready for bed I walk the remaining distance over to her and tuck her in. I'm pretty sure that this is a mom's job to do since my mom used to do it to me when I was younger, but since she's always so busy, I do it for Courtney instead.

Once I'm satisfied that she's tucked in properly, I kiss her forehead and take a few steps away from her. "Goodnight, Court." I say to her, just like I do every night.

"Goodnight Brittany." She mumbles as she snuggles down into her blankets. I press play on the DVD player for her and then I begin to walk towards the door since she no longer needs my help. "I'm sorry." I hear my sister say just as I place my hand on the door handle. "What I said was mean and I shouldn't have said it just because I was frustrated."

"It's okay." I reassure her as I turn back around to face her. It really is okay because people say things they don't mean all the time because they're either angry or upset. "Go to sleep now, I love you."

"I love you too." She calls out to me just as I exit her bedroom. I smile to myself as I close her door over a little bit, happy at the fact that my sister and I are okay again, but then I hear something that makes me smile even bigger;

"Goodnight daddy, I love you."

I thought I was the only one who still said goodnight to my father, so it makes me extremely happy when I hear my little sister saying it. I want to run into her room and give her a massive hug for doing so, but I don't think that's a good idea because I don't want to embarrass her. Instead, I just was back across the hallway to my bedroom.

When I enter my bedroom, the first thing I notice is that Santana has moved from my bed and is now looking at the photographs that are stuck up all over the walls of my bedroom. She has her back to me, so she can't see that I'm watching her. I don't mind that Santana is looking at my pictures because if I wanted them to be private, then I wouldn't have stuck them up on my walls, but it confuses me. I don't understand why Santana would want to look at my pictures and learn about my life. She's probably just bored.

Yeah, that must be it.

Since I can't say anything to Santana to get her to notice me, I walk up to her and stand beside her, focussing my attention on the photographs in front of me.

"Sorry." Santana apologises immediately when she notices that I'm standing next to her. "I shouldn't be snooping around your stuff." I don't mind, so I just smile at her and shrug my shoulders before turning my attention back to the pictures.

"There's a lot of pictures of you, Quinn and Sam." She comments after a moment of silence. I glance over at her and set that her attention is focused on one particular picture. The picture is of me, Sam and Quinn. I'm standing in the middle and Quinn and Sam are on either side of me, both kissing my cheeks. "They're your best friends, right?"

I nod my head in reply to her question, indicating that they are my best friends. They're my only friends. I don't understand why she's asking me this though, because I thought that it was pretty obvious that they're my best friends.

"You never did get round to telling me why you were annoyed at Quinn." Santana reminds me as she turns her body to the side so that she's facing me. "Do you want to talk about it?"

It would be nice to have someone who isn't Sam or Lord Tubbington to share my problems with, so I nod my head and gesture for Santana to follow me back to the bed. I have to go there since that's where her phone is and I need it to communicate with her.

Santana picks up her phone from my bed and holds it out for me to take. Once I have it in my hands, I begin to think back to the fight that Quinn and I had. It's then that I remember that our fight was about Santana. I begin to panic because I don't know what to do. I just told the girl sitting next to me that I would tell her why I was angry at Quinn, but now I don't know if I can tell her because I really don't want to hurt her feelings. I shift uncomfortably in my spot as I think about what to do, but no idea comes to mind.

If I wasn't so stupid then I wouldn't have gotten stuck in this situation.

"Brittany, if you don't want to tell me about it then you don't have to. It's okay." Santana tells me, taking me away from my own thoughts. I look up at her to see that she's smiling at me in an attempt to reassure me that it is okay.

It's not okay though. I want to tell Santana, but I don't want to hurt her feelings. Santana isn't weak though, at school she is always standing up for herself and being mean to people when she needs to be. She might not be offended if I tell her what happened.

_'Quinn and I had a fight. I want to tell you about it, but I don't want to make you upset.' I_ type out, showing Santana the message. I decide that warning her is my best option because now, if she doesn't want to know, I don't need to tell her.

After she's finished reading, Santana frowns and her mouth closes into a straight line. It's like she's thinking very hard about something. "I won't get upset." She eventually tells me. "I'm sort of a bitch and people say mean stuff about me all the time. I'm used to it." She chuckles half-heartedly.

Now it's my turn to frown. I don't think Santana is a bitch. I used to, but then she started being nice to me and I realised that she isn't that bad. Even though she has tried to make a joke out of her being a bitch, I can tell that she doesn't find it completely funny.

I want to tell Santana that I don't think she's a bitch, but I decide against it. I don't think I know her well enough to comment on that sort of thing without making it awkward, so I don't write anything about it. Also, if we started talking about that, we would get distracted and Quinn and my mom always tell me to stay focused, so that's what I'm going to do.

_'Quinn is angry at you because you stuck up for me when Puck and Finn cornered me.' _I type out quickly, keeping the message as simple as possible.

"That's because she hates me." Santana states bitterly. She really doesn't like Quinn, and Quinn really doesn't like her. "I don't understand how that has made the two of you argue though."

_'It's just that I'm happy that you helped me out, but Quinn and Sam aren't, and that makes me angry. They both suck for not being happy that you saved me. The whole situation just sucks.' _I read over what I've typed and I think it make sense, so I give the phone over to Santana. I hope that I haven't been too forward with her or upset her because I really didn't want to do either of those things.

"That does suck pretty badly." Santana agrees after a moment of thought. "I don't want you to fight with Quinn because of me. I know that Quinn and I don't get along, and I really don't care about her, but I don't want to effect the relationship the two of you have. It's something that everyone, including myself, dreams about having with someone. You shouldn't let arguments over me get in the way of that because I know the if I had that kind of relationship with you, then I wouldn't want it ruined because of another person."

I don't agree with what Santana is saying. Well, I partly do, I guess. I'm aware that the friendship that Quinn and I have is something very special and important, but I don't believe that Santana is something that Quinn and I shouldn't argue about. I don't know if Santana and I are friend or not, but

Quinn should at least start being civil towards her because that's what I had to do when she became friends with Rachel.

Maybe if I become friends with Santana, then Quinn will start being nicer to her? I have a feeling that, that might not work out because Quinn is pretty stubborn.

I want to argue with Santana and tell her that I do think she's worth fighting about, but I go against that idea because I don't want to have two arguments in one day. So instead, I don't do anything. It's easier that way.

"Brittany, can I ask you something?" Santana asks, breaking the comfortable silence between us.

It takes me by surprise that Santana is asking me if she can ask me a question, because not many people have done that before. I nod my head, indicating that she can ask me a question. I'm curious I know what it is.

"I was thinking and I was wondering if maybeyouwantedtobefriendswit hme?" The last bit comes out completely rushed and because I wasn't expecting it, I couldn't understand what she was saying.

_'Can you repeat that? I missed the last part.' _

"It doesn't matter." She sighs as she nervously plays with her hands. "It was a silly question, it doesn't matter."

'_No question is silly, just tell me :)' _

Santana takes a deep breath in and let's it out slowly. I really want her to hurry up and ask me the question again, but I know I have to be patient. "I was wondering if you maybe wanted to be friends with me?"

My body reacts before I can even think my actions through, and before I know it, my arms are around Santana's neck and I'm hugging her tightly. Right now, I'm not thinking about my argument with Quinn or the fact that Santana might not like hugs because in too happy and excited to do so.

I just made a new friend.

* * *

**Okay, so I'm so sorry for the wait! I know I said I'd update every two weeks, but school has been a complete nightmare and I'm also working on an update for my other story: I've Changed (I've nearly finished it… woo!) **

**Anyway, I hope you enjoy this update. I'm still writing on my iPhone so all mistakes are mine. **

**Reviews are appreciated! They make me happy :) **

**wkgreen: You're thinking right! Lets just say Quinn will be having words with Santana in the very near future ;) **

**Pridemunkeyz: I was told that I should be in theatre too! Haha, yes, 150-200. It's what happens when you let your brother and sisters use it and they bring it back in pieces! There's no Quitt in this chapter (I know, I'm crying too) but there will be in the next, I promise! **

**NEid93: Aw thank you! I hope people realise that Quinn is being protective and not just acting like a bitch because that is how she has dealt with the situation for so long. Brittany's mother is someone that definitely should not be liked and that will be highlighted in the chapters to come. I hope you enjoyed this update :) **

**the mad twin: Fights are coming up, don't worry ;)**

**PoseidonIsABeast: Thank you! As much as I would love to skip to the part of the story where Brittany trusts Santana and everything is happy, I know that would be highly unrealistic and I'm glad that you think that too! Friendships and relationships are about journeys and that's exactly what Brittany and Santana are going through together :) **

**emciegie: I hope this was enough Brittana for you and that you enjoyed the update! **

**Nayalove: I really hate the way Brittany is portrayed on the show which is why I wanted to do a story from her point of view. I'm glad you like it! **

**Icesk8er: Thank you! They both have quite along way to go before Brittany will trust Santana enough to speak to her, but interesting things will happen before then ;P **

**Naynay1963: Thank you, I'm glad you like that. I just think that with Brittany not speaking, she is lost in her thoughts a lot of the time and its an interesting thing to explore. I think that with Santana, she will be mean and protective of herself around others. However, when she's with Brittany you'll see a more vulnerable side to her (which was illustrated in this chapter) because she feels safer with her. I guess we'll just have to wait and see what will happen though! **

**JF1993: Thank you so much for the review! Quinn and Brittany's relationship is something beautiful and will remain throughout the story. I'm hoping to put more of Sam into it, but I don't want it to feel forced, however I do have a few ideas for the upcoming chapters which include him! Yes, Will was 100% unprofessional, but one of the reasons I wanted to put that in there was to highlight that not even the adults understand Brittany, and how it makes very thing harder for her. I hate writing mean Puck and Finn, but yes, it is needed for Quinn's small storyline and for an opportunity for Brittany to grow. All will be revealed slowly haha! Santana will be helping Brittany grow, but Brittany will also be helping with Santana with some unresolved issues which I'm excited about writing. Once again, thank you so much for your review, it made my day when I read it, and I hope you enjoyed this update! **

**Musiqnilla18: Thank you! I'm really glad that you like the story and the pace that its going at. I was worrying that people might of been thinking that it was going to slow. Thanks for reading an reviewing :) **


	10. Jigsaw Pieces

I'm in the school's gym now, waiting for Santana to show up. We're both supposed to be in our first class, but Sue was able to get us out of them so that I could begin to teach Santana the routine. I'm excited about teaching Santana because now that we're friends, I really want to spend time with her. Quinn isn't allowed to find out about this though, because if she does, she'll probably get angry at Santana and I don't want that to happen.

Whilst I wait for Santana, I decide to stretch because stretching is important. One time at practice, I forgot to stretch and by the next day I was in a lot of pain. I can't let that happen to me again.

As I stretch, I begin to think about my new friend once again. I'm glad that Santana asked me to be her friend because I really wanted to be friends with her anyway. However, I don't think Quinn and Sam will be happy about it and because of this, I don't know if I should tell them or not. I don't like keeping secrets from them, but I think that this is something that I definitely have to keep from them because if I don't, I think both of them will be very angry about the situation.

I think that I'll ask Santana about what I should do because she's super smart, like Quinn, and I'm pretty sure that she'll come up with a good plan. Also, I don't know if Santana will want me to tell Sam and Quinn that we are friends, so I'll need to double check with her.

"Hey." I spin around quickly when I hear a very familiar voice. Santana is leaning against the door of the gym with her arms crossed over her chest. I didn't hear her come in but I think that's because I wasn't paying much attention since I was too caught up in my own thoughts to do so.

I have the urge to go over and hug Santana, but I don't do it. Do all friends hug every time they see each other? I know I always hug Sam and Quinn, but that's because we're super close. I'm not that close with Santana, yet. I decide just to wave at her instead and motion for her to come over. She follows my instructions and before I know it, she's standing next to me.

"How are you today?" She asks in curiosity, tilting her head to the side a little bit so that she can look up at me. It surprises me that she's asking me how I am because I'm not used to anyone but Sam and Quinn doing that. I guess that I'll just have to get used to it now that Santana and I are friends.

Since I don't have my phone or notebook on me, because they're in my bag on the other side of the gym, and Santana hasn't handed me her phone, I just give her a thumbs up and hope that she knows what I mean by that.

"Sorry, I didn't know you that you didn't have anything to communicate with." She apologises. I don't know why she's apologising to me though, because there was really no way for her to know that, she just got here. "I'm glad that you're feeling good today."

A sense of relief washes over me when she says that because it means that she understood my hand gesture. Sometimes, I worry when I do hand gestures because I don't know if people will understand them or not. Then again, I don't really communicate with many people because I'm scared about what they'll think of me.

"Let's start practicing." Santana suggests, snapping me out of my thoughts. "We made great progress on Wednesday and Thursday, so lets do the same today."

I really like having Santana as my friend.

* * *

"You're a really great teacher." Santana pants as she takes a long drink of her water. We just ran through the routine for the eighth time today and Santana now knows it completely. She even performs it better than all of the other cheerleaders.

'_That's because you're great at picking the moves up quickly.'_ I scribble down on my notebook before ripping the page out and handing it to her.

We've decided to take a break because we've done a lot of practicing and we're both quite tired. Also, I'm pretty sure the bell is going to ring soon which means we'll need to leave and I don't want that to happen whilst we're in the middle of the routine.

As if on cue, the bell rings so Santana and I stand up, picking up our belongings as we do so. I don't know which class I have next which means that I'll have to make a stop at my locker to check my timetable. I hope Finn and Puck aren't there, just thinking about them makes me nervous.

"Brittany, we have Spanish now, are you coming?" I look up to find Santana standing at the exit of the gym. I don't know how she got so far away from me, so I jog over to her. I don't want to be late for class.

We walk down the hallway in silence, dodging everyone as we go. Since I don't want to lose Santana in the rush of people, I hook my arm through hers and keep on walking. Like always, the funny feeling I always get when I touch Santana comes back and it makes me smile. I think it might be the best feeling in the world.

My arm plan works because by the time we reach Mr Schue's Spanish class, I haven't lost Santana since our arms are still linked together. Just as I'm about to walk into the class, Santana pulls me back so I frown at her in confusion. Class is about to start, we're supposed to be inside. She doesn't say anything though, she just shakes her head slowly and slips her arm out of mine and walks into the class.

Santana's sudden mood swing startles me because I totally wasn't expecting it. Did she not like linking arms with me? I want to ask her about it, so I follow her inside the classroom and take my seat next to her. I'm confused about what to do now because I want to ask her if she's okay, but I have a feeling that she might not want to talk to me right now. Maybe she doesn't want to be my friend anymore? Yeah, that's probably it. I guess that's okay, because my mom is right, people get bored of me and then leave. Why would Santana be any different?

"B, stop daydreaming!" Quinn hisses, causing me to jump. I don't know how long she's been trying to talk to me, but I'm guessing its been for a little while because she seems annoyed. Then again, she might just be annoyed because Santana is sitting next to me. She's always annoyed when Santana is around.

I look at my two blonde friends sitting in front of me and wait for one of them to speak. As I'm doing so, I grab my notebook out of my bag so that I'm ready to reply to them.

"We asked where you were." Sam says, repeating what I assume Quinn had asked me earlier when I was daydreaming. "You weren't in math class."

Oh no. I hadn't thought about Quinn and Sam finding out that I skipped my first class to help Santana practice. Although, I should have known that they'd find out because I sit next to Sam in the class so it made sense that he realised I wasn't there. I want to tell them the truth, I want them to know that I was helping Santana with cheerleading, but I know it's not a good idea. They'll be angry at me for helping her.

'_I had an appointment with Miss Pillsbury.'_ I scribble down the first excuse that comes to my head. I know it's a lie, but there's no way that they will know that.

"I never knew you had an appointment with her." Quinn looks up at me after she's finished reading, her eyes are narrowed and it makes her look like she's trying to read my mind.

"Yeah, me neither." Sam comments, copying Quinn and narrowing his eyes at me. I can tell that the two of them don't completely believe it, but I know Quinn isn't going to take the conversation further whilst we're still in the classroom, and Sam isn't going to call me out for lying. He never does.

'_Either did I.'_ I write back. _'It was an emergency appointment, it's nothing to worry about.'_

"Quinn and Sam, can you please face the front of the class so that I can start today's lesson." Mr Schue calls from his desk, just as Quinn opens her mouth to say something else.

I'm glad that he interrupted because I get a break from lying to my friends, for now. I don't like lying to them. I hate lying, but right now, I feel as if I have to.

* * *

It's halfway through class when I realise that Spanish isn't as easy as it used to be when I sat next to Quinn. She used to always help me, but now that she's sitting next to Sam and we're not even really talking to one another after our fight that happened on Tuesday, I don't want to ask her for help.

I glance over at Santana and I see that she's swinging on her chair whilst playing with her pen. I'm pretty sure that she's already finished her work because she's really good at Spanish. I want to ask her for help, but I don't think that's a good idea because after what happened at the start of the class, I'm not really sure if she would want me to speak to her or not. I guess I'll just stay stuck. I'm sure it doesn't matter.

I push my textbook away from me and then lay my head down on the desk, closing my eyes as I do so. I have nothing better to do, so I may as well try and relax. I just hope that Quinn or Sam don't turn around and see me or they'll question me about it.

"Brittany…" I hear my name being whispered and at first I think that I'm imagining it, but then I feel something gently prod at my arm and I know that I'm not.

Opening my eyes, I sit up and find a note lying in front of me. I know that the note is from Santana because I heard her whisper my name and I recognise her writing on the note.

'_I'm sorry about earlier_.' Is all it says. Relief washes over me when I read it because it means that Santana didn't mean what she did earlier, but I still want to know why she did it.

'_Why did you do it? I thought that maybe I did something to upset you.'_ I slide the paper back over to her, not lifting my gaze up from the table as I do so. I don't know if I want to look at Santana's facial expression as she reads what I've written.

'_No, Brittany, you didn't do anything to upset me. It's just that I didn't think walking into class with our arms linked was a good idea because Quinn and Sam were already inside. I didn't want to cause an argument between you all.'_

_'Good, I thought that my mom was right and you didn't want to be my friend anymore. You couldn't have caused an argument because Quinn and I still aren't really talking, but thanks for trying to protect me :)'_

_'No. Your mom isn't right, I do want to be your friend. I promised you that I was going to protect you, and I'll do whatever I can to do that :). Have you finished your work?'_

_'Thanks, Santana. No, I haven't finished it. I don't understand it :('_

_'Bring your textbook and chair closer and I'll help you out, it's what I'm here for.'_

For the first time during our note exchange, I look over at Santana to see that she's smiling at me. I like it when she smiles because her smile is beautiful, just like her. Since I know that she still wants to be my friend, I do as the note says and I move my stuff closer to Santana. Our arms are now touching and the funny fuzzy feeling comes back, I really like that feeling.

"So, let me see what you've done so far and we'll go from there, okay?" Santana asks as she starts comparing my work against hers. I nod my head in agreement with her because I trust her with what she's doing.

"Brittany, this is great so far." She tells me after a few moments of silence. "We need to look at number two again because the translation you've given isn't quite correct, but apart from that, everything else looks great!"

It makes me really happy to hear that so far I'm doing good, because I thought I was doing quite bad since I was doing it without any help. It makes me think that I might be able to do the last few questions on my own, but I decide not to tell Santana this because I want her to help me. Just in case I get them wrong.

"Okay, so, th-"

"What are you doing?" Santana is cut off by Quinn, who along with Sam, have turned around in their seats to face us.

"What does it look like I'm doing?" Santana answers back quickly, glaring at Quinn. "I'm helping Brittany with her work."

I feel really awkward in this situation so I just stare at the desk in front of me. I notice the note lying near Santana, so I quickly brush it onto her lap, hoping that my two best friends didn't see it. I don't think they did, because neither of them commented on it.

"She doesn't need your help." Quinn tells Santana before turning her attention to me. "Do you, Brittany?" All three of them turn to look at me and my heart begins to beat faster. I don't want to be in the middle of this argument. I do need Santana's help, but if I go against what Quinn says then she'll be upset with me.

I shrug my shoulders. It's stupid, I know, but I'm panicking and I don't know what else to do. I cover my face with my hands so that no one can see how red my cheeks have gone and so that I don't have to look at Quinn, Sam or Santana. I can't deal with that right now because I feel like I've disappointed them all.

"Look FabGay, you need to shut your mouth and mind your own goddamn business!" Santana practically growls at Quinn, slamming her hands down onto the desk as she does so. "If Brittany does or doesn't want my help then she can tell me so herself."

"FabGay? Really? I've never heard that one before." Quinn chuckles, but I can tell that she doesn't find it funny. It's a sad laugh, like the one I do when Sam tries to cheer me up when I'm crying. "It is my business because it involves Brittany! Brittany is my business, she's my best friend!"

Even though Santana is my friend, I can tell that she's upset Quinn and that isn't okay. Even though Quinn and I are fighting, she's still my best friend and I don't like it when she's sad. I reach over the desk and take Quinn's hand in mine, squeezing it tightly as I do so. I'm doing this because I want her to know that I still love and care about her, because I do. She squeezes back and that makes me happy because it means that she understands.

"Is everything okay back there?" Mr Schue calls from the front, causing Quinn and Sam to turn around. Once they do, I turn to Santana so that I can talk to her about what happened, and that's when I notice that she's moved away from me and she's got her back facing me.

I know that she's upset with me and I think it's because I took Quinn's hand. That has to be it, right? Or maybe it was because I shrugged my shoulders instead of saying that I did need her help? I want to ask her, but I have a feeling that she won't reply to me if I write her a note.

'_I'm sorry, have I done something wrong?'_ It can't hurt to write her one, right? I slide it across to her, nudging her elbow with it so that she knows that I sent it.

Slowly, she turns around and picks up the note. Her back is still to me so I can't see her mouthing the words which disappoints me.

'_No, you're perfect.' _Is the reply that I get back.

* * *

I'm confused. It's something that happens often, but this time I can't ask Quinn or Sam to help me out. I'm confused about Santana. She said that I hadn't done anything wrong, but now she's not talking to me and I don't know why.

It's lunchtime now and I'm sitting with Quinn, Sam and the rest of the glee club at our usual table. They're all in conversations with one another and I think that they might have all forgotten about me. Sometimes they do forget about me, but I can't blame them because I'm so quiet. How can you remember about someone when they never speak to you? I don't think you can.

On the other side of the cafeteria, I see Santana sitting with the rest of the Cheerios and football players. She doesn't look happy and I want to go over there to ask if she's okay, but Finn and Puck are right beside her and I'm pretty sure that none of the other Cheerios like me. Quinn says it because they're jealous of me, but I don't understand. Why would they be jealous of someone that can't speak?

"Brittany?" Sam's voice snaps me out of my thoughts and I turn to my right to face him, reluctantly taking my eyes off of Santana to do so. "Are you okay?"

I nod my head, indicating that he guessed correctly, and smile at him. It's nice to know that he hasn't forgotten about me.

"Do you want to come and hang out at my place tonight?" He questions, returning my smile. "Since its Friday, I was thinking that we should have a movie night. Are you in?"

I love movie nights at Sam's house because he has the best DVD collection ever, but I know that I can't go. My mom said this morning that she has to work late tonight which means that I have to rush out of school, get to Courtney's school, pick her up and babysit her. I know that Sam wouldn't mind if I brought her to the movie night, but I don't want to because she doesn't really like watching loads of movies. It wouldn't be fair.

_'I can't.' I_ type out on my phone. 'M_om is working late so I have to babysit Court. Do you want to have movie night at my place?_' That way, I'm pleasing everyone because Sam and I can have our movie night and Courtney can either watch the movies with us or she can go upstairs and do something else.

"That sounds like a great idea!" He grins as he hands me back my phone. "You have a bigger tv anyway."

'_Great! What time are you coming over?'_

"I have football practice and then I have to go home and get some DVDs." He explains. "I'll probably be at yours at half five, is that okay?"

'_That's fine. What do you want for dinner? I'll buy it and you can buy snacks.'_

"Okay, I'll stop off at the store on the way to your house. Can we just get the usual from Breadsticks?"

'_Sure :)'_

Sam turns his attention back to Mercedes who seems a little bit annoyed that he wasn't listening to her, and I turn my attention back to the table where Santana is sitting at. However, Santana isn't sitting there anymore. My eyes scan the whole cafeteria and I spot the Latina storming out the room. Her shoulders are hunched and her hands are curled up into fists. She seems angry and I want to go and check up on her.

'_I'm going to the bathroom.' I_ shove my phone into Sam's face so that he sees the message and then I jump up from my seat, picking my backpack up as I do so.

"You don't have to make up excuses!" Sam shouts as I rush out of the cafeteria. I don't know what he means by that, but I'm too busy to think about it. I need to find Santana.

The hallways are quiet since everyone is in the cafeteria, outside or in a classroom which makes finding Santana a lot easier. I start heading towards the girl's bathroom because that's where everyone goes when they're upset.

"What do you want from me?" I instantly recognise Santana's voice and with every step I take, it gets louder and louder. I find Santana at her locker, she has her back to me and I notice that she's on the phone.

I don't think I should be standing here, but I don't want to move. I want to make sure that she's okay because that's what friends do, right?

"I've had enough, okay? Just leave me alone!" I can hear the distress in her voice and it worries me. I know I shouldn't be listening in, but I can't leave her now.

"You got what you wanted, Taylor! I have nothing left!" With that, Santana hangs up her phone, letting out a sob as she does so. Before I know it, she's crying uncontrollably.

Santana is my friend and I don't like seeing her upset. I have to fix this. I walk towards her, making as much noise as I can so that she notices me. It works because Santana spins around on the spot just as I stop in front of her. Her eyes are all red and puffy and she looks so sad, like a sad panda. I want to give her a hug, so that's what I do.

I wrap my arms around her waist and pull her body into mine. Since Santana is a little bit smaller than me, her head rests perfectly into my neck. It's like we're a jigsaw piece that fits perfectly together. Hugging is supposed to make you feel better, but I don't think it's working because Santana begins to cry harder.

I try to pull away from her since I don't think that she wants me to hug her, but when I try to do so, she wraps her arms around me tightly. "D-Don't leave m-me, p-please." She begs, hiccuping as she does so.

I don't know exactly what's going on, but I'm not going to let go of Santana. She needs me.

Standing in the middle of the hallway is never the best place to cry, so with my arms still around her body, I begin to walk with Santana to the bathroom.

Thankfully, when we get there, there's no one else in the bathroom which I think Santana is glad of because it means that no one else has seen her cry.

I want to ask her about what happened back at her locker, I want to know who Taylor is, but I know that now is not the time to ask those questions. Right now, I need to support my friend. So I do just that, I hold Santana and I let her cry, because that's what friends do.

* * *

I don't know exactly how long it takes for Santana to stop crying, but I know it's taken a while. Lunch is now over and everyone is back in their classes. Luckily, Santana and I have art and Quinn and Sam aren't in that class, so they won't find out about me skipping it.

Currently, we're both sitting next to each other on the floor. We were standing up before, but Santana got even more upset and started sinking to the floor so it made sense that we just sat there instead.

"I'm sorry." She finally speaks once she's evened out her breathing. I don't know why she's apologising to me because she's got nothing to apologise for.

_'You don't need to apologise, you've done nothing wrong.' _I type out on my phone before handing it to her.

"Yes I have." She argues back. "I acted like a bitch in Spanish and now I've made you miss art!"

_'You didn't act like a bitch to me in Spanish, you acted like a bitch to Quinn. There's a difference. You shouldn't of called her names though, that was mean. Why did you do it? Also, I don't mind missing art, don't worry about it.'_

Santana opens her mouth to reply, but then she closes it again. She's trying to think of the right words to say, so I wait patiently. "I'm jealous of her."

I don't really know what she means by that, but I know better than to question it. If she wanted me to know more, then she would have continued on speaking.

"Do you want to go back to class?" She sniffs as she checks the time on her phone. "The bell is just about to ring, you don't have to wait here with me."

'_Are you going to class?' _I'm not too sure what I have next, but if Santana isn't going to class then neither am I. I'm not going to leave her in the bathroom to cry.

"No, I'm not going."

_'Well, neither am I.'_

* * *

"So, what's going on with you and Quinn?" Sam asks me from his seat on the couch, taking a bite out of a breadstick as he does so.

"We had a little argument on Tuesday after practice." I tell him as I put the first movie into the DVD player. "It was a silly argument and the two of us haven't had the chance to talk it out, I'll give her a call tomorrow, don't worry about it." I take my seat back on the couch next to Sam, and I curl up into his side. He's comfy, like a pillow.

"So it's nothing serious?"

"Nope, not at all."

That's one of the many things I love about Sam, he never questions me. He always believes what I say and when I say it, and if he doesn't, he keeps it to himself. I couldn't ask for a better friend.

"Good." He sighs out in relief. "I really hate it when the two of you fight." I feel bad when he says this because Sam is always caught in the middle of our fights and it isn't fair on him. "Although, I have a feeling that the two of you will be fighting in the future." He continues, catching me completely off guard.

"What do you mean by that?" I ask as I start the movie, fast forwarding through all the adverts.

"You know what I mean, B." He grins mischievously at me, but I really don't understand what he's suggesting. I decide just to drop the subject just now and concentrate on the movie, it's easier that way.

* * *

"Saaaaaaaaaaaam, who are you texting?" I sing as I lean in closer to him so that I can see the screen of his phone. He pulls it away before I can read it though, causing me to pout. "Tell me!"

"It's just Mercedes." He laughs at my childish behaviour before pulling me onto his lap, I was already half on it anyway.

"Tell her I say hi." It's always nice to be polite and even though I rarely communicate with Mercedes, it's still nice to say hi to her.

"I don't think that's a good idea." Sam chuckles nervously which makes me frown at me him, urging him to explain further. "We're fighting just now."

"What? Why?" I gasp in shock. Mercedes and Sam never fight about anything because they're both really laid back people.

"She's pissed off because she thinks I'm cheating on her with you."

Wait. Hold on. Mercedes thinks Sam is cheating on her. With me. What? That's insane!

"Why does she think that?" It's the only question that I can think of. It makes no sense because everyone knows that Sam and I are best friends and nothing more than that.

"She asked me to go out with her tonight, but I told her that I already had plans with you." He explains. "Now she's with Tina and Kurt, and somehow they've managed to convince her that I'm cheating on her."

"That's crazy!" I exclaim as I begin to feel bad. I feel like it's my fault because if I wasn't so dependant on Sam then Mercedes wouldn't think that he was cheating. "You can leave if you want, we can continue our movie night another night?"

"No, it's fine." He reassures me as he turns his phone off completely. "You're my best friend and she knows that, she's being childish right now and I want to finish our movie night."

I don't know if ignoring Mercedes is the right thing to do, but I have never been in a relationship so my judgement is probably wrong. I decide not to question Sam any further, so I press play on the next DVD menu and begin to watch the next movie.

* * *

"BITCH, IF YOU GO INTO THE CUPBOARD THE. YOU'RE GOING TO GET KILLED!" Sam shouts at the tv and I can't help but laugh at how engrossed into the movie he actual is. "LISTEN TO ME YOU STUPID CHILD!"

I watch the tv screen as the girl slowly opens the door to the cupboard and I smile when Sam's grip on my waist tightens. I find it hilarious that he's so tough, but he's scared of horror films.

"HOLY CRAP!" Sam cries out in surprise, pushing me off his lap as he does so, making me fall to the floor.

"Calm down, it's just the doorbell." I laugh as I pick myself up from the floor before grabbing the controller and turning the movie off. "Courtney's upstairs sleeping and I don't want your screaming to wake her up, so you can put another movie on or we can play the Xbox, it's your choice."

The doorbell rings again and I sigh. I was going to ignore it, but clearly someone wants something. "I'm going to see who is at the door, I'll be back in a minute."

"Maybe I should go, B." My best friend suggests. "It's half nine at night. Who visits at that time?"

"I'll be fine." I say as I begin to walk out of the room. I find it funny that Sam is willing to protect me from someone at the door, but just moments ago he threw me off his lap because he got scared because of a horror film. "If I'm not back in two minutes then you can come and find me."

I make my way to the front door and make sure that the pen and paper that I usually leave on the table in the hallway are still there. When my mom started working all the time, I had to get used to answering the door all the time, so now I keep a pen and some paper next to it incase I need to communicate with anyone.

I open the door and I'm shocked at what I find. Standing on the other side of the door is Santana. She has her arms wrapped around her body and she's crying. Without thinking about it, I grab her arm and gently pull her inside, closing the door behind her.

I don't know what to do now, so I just stand there and stare at her. I want her to tell me what's wrong, but she seems to upset to do that. "C-Can I h-hug y-you?" She sobs quietly, looking straight into my eyes. She doesn't need to ask to hug me. She's my friend. Friends don't have to ask.

I nod my head and open my arms, letting her step into them. Her head finds the crook of my neck, like it did earlier today and I can't help but think that this is one of the best things ever. Although, I would like it if Santana wasn't crying because I don't like it when she's sad.

"I-I'm sorry for j-just showing u-up." Santana sniffs after a moment of silence as she tries to control her breathing. "You m-must think that I'm s-some emotional w-wreck."

Even though she cant see it because her head is resting in the crook of my neck, I shake my head, indicating that I don't think that. Santana isn't an emotional wreck. She's just sad right now and that's okay. You're allowed to be sad.

"Would it be o-okay with you i-if I stay here for a w-while?" She asks me, lifting her head from my shoulder so that she can see my response. "I can g-go away if y-you don't want me."

I never even thought of letting Santana go. There's no way I'm going to leave her when she's sad. Taking her hand in mine I guide her through into the front room which is where Sam and I are having our movie night.

"B, I decided on..." Sam trails off when he sees Santana. He looks at her and then at me and frowns. I know that he doesn't like Santana, but I just hope that he doesn't say anything mean to her. She's too upset to deal with anything else right now.

I feel Santana's grip on my hand tighten and I feel bad because I should have warned her that Sam was here. I squeeze her hand back and guide her over to the couch. I sit in the middle, Sam is on my right and Santana is on my left. I don't know what to do now, so I look up at Sam, hoping that he's going to start the movie.

"I hope you like The Avengers, toffee popcorn and chocolate, Santana." Sam says, stretching over me and handing Santana the bag of popcorn and a bar of chocolate. "Welcome to our movie night."

"Thanks." Santana replies quietly, forcing herself to smile at Sam. My blonde best friend returns the smile and shrugs his shoulders like its no big deal.

This is why I love Sam. He never questions anything.

* * *

**Yay! A fast update! I really liked the reviews I got from the last update so I thought that I'd write a quick update for you all! **

**Thanks for all the alerts and reviews from the last update, they made me smile. **

**Nayalove: thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed it! **

**Emciegie: thank you! I hope there was enough Brittana in this one too :) **

**the mad twin: it won't be for quite a while, but other things will happen before then ;) **

**Courtneyyj14: Thank you, I hope you liked this update too! **

**Naynay1963: I'm so glad someone commented on the George and Georgina thing! Santana has a complicated and mysterious story (which has been highlighted in this update) and I'm going to continue to use George and Georgina as a way for Santana to communicate. Twenty questions is a good idea! I will definitely try to fit something like that in! **

**Wkgreen: thanks for the review, I'm glad you liked the last update and I hope that you like this one too! **

**Icesk8er: Quinn is very stubborn, but at the end of the day, all she want is what's best for Brittany. Quinn coming to accept that not everyone is going to be mean to Brittany is a story in itself that I'm excited about exploring :) **

**Knowthescore: thank you so much! I hope you enjoyed tho update too! **

**Rosetoast: I'm glad you like it! Don't worry, Georgina will me making a reappearance soon :) **

**Please review, they make me happy. If you have any suggestions, let me know! **


	11. Breakfast at Brittany's

Santana has fallen asleep and I don't know what to do. Her head is resting on my shoulder and her whole body is is cuddled into my side because she's still holding onto my hand.

The funny fuzzy feeling that I get whenever I touch Santana has been with me for the entire movie, and I have come to the conclusion that it is the best feeling ever. Nothing can beat it.

It's half past eleven and even though our movie nights usually run on longer than this, Sam and I have decided to cut it short since Santana is here. Sam still hasn't said or asked me anything about Santana and that worries me a little bit because usually he's always asking questions. However, I'm sort of glad he didn't say anything during the time that Santana was awake because I really didn't want her feeling uncomfortable or unwanted.

"What are you going to do with her?" Sam asks, motioning towards the girl that's sleeping next to me.

I shrug my shoulders in response because I really do have no idea what I'm going to do. I don't want to wake her up because she seems so peaceful and I don't want her to start crying again, but I also don't want to leave her on the couch because its not very comfy to sleep on.

"I wouldn't wake her up." My blonde friend advises, not taking his eyes off of the sleeping body. "I don't know what's going on right now, but she seems like she's hurting and I think you should let her sleep whilst she can."

Sam is usually right about things like this, so I trust his judgement. I won't wake Santana up, I'll let her stay here for the night.

"I also wouldn't keep her down here." Sam continues. "Your mom isn't home yet and Courtney gets up early in the morning, someone might wake her up."

He's right about that. On Friday nights my mom always comes in late. She says that she's busy working, but I know that she's not. Her office doesn't stay open until three o'clock in the morning. Courtney also always gets up early on a Saturday to watch cartoons and I definitely don't want her coming downstairs to find Santana sleeping on the couch.

"She needs as much sleep as she can get, she looked exhausted when she came in here." Sam moves from his spot on the couch and stands in front of Santana, crouching down so that he's level with her. I don't know what he's doing, but it looks as if he's studying her. "Do you want me to put her in your room?"

Putting Santana into my room to sleep sounds like a great idea because I have a kingsize bed and no one ever comes into my room which means that she'll not be disturbed. I nod my head. I know that I can talk because Santana's asleep, but I don't want to take any chances. You never know when she could wake up.

Sam gently places one arm around Santana's back and the other one below her legs before slowly lifting her up. I stand up from my spot on the couch and guide Sam out of the front room, reluctantly letting go of Santana's hand as I do so.

Once we stop outside my room, I open the door and turn on the bedside lamp. I don't want to turn on the main light just incase it wakes Santana up. I'm glad that my room is clean because I wouldn't want Santana to be in here if it was dirty. I pull back the blankets on my bed and Sam places Santana gently down onto it before helping me pull the blankets over her sleeping body.

"Can we talk for a minute?" Sam asks, breaking the comfortable silence between us. He gestures towards the door and I follow him out of the room, closing the door behind me.

It doesn't come as a surprise to me that Sam wants to talk about this because Sam is a curious person. He's always asking questions about everything. I'm actually surprised that he was able to hold off asking questions for so long.

"What's going on?" He whispers once we're standing in the hallway. I think we're whispering because Courtney and Santana are both asleep and I'm happy that Sam is being respectful of that.

Even though I really don't want to explain to Sam, I know that I have to. He deserves to know what's going on, he's my best friend and has stuck by me through everything. I just hope that what I tell him won't make him mad.

"I have no idea." I answer truthfully. I really don't know why Santana showed up at my house tonight. All I know is that she was upset and wanted to come inside. If I knew more then I'd tell him.

"Okay." Sam sighs as he runs one of his hands through his hair. "I need you to be honest with me here, Brittany. I need you to tell me what's being going on with you and Santana because right now, I'm very confused."

"Remember that day in Spanish when Mr Schue tried to get me to talk?" I ask, prompting him to think back to a few weeks ago.

"Yeah, I remember." He nods. "What about it?"

"Well at the end of the lesson, Santana found me in the bathroom and we talked. It didn't go too well and I ended up running out the bathroom." Sam tenses at this, obviously not happy with what I've told him, so I decide that I better hurry up with the story. "After school that day, Courtney and I went to Breadsticks and we met Santana there. It was raining so she gave us a ride home. Just as I was about to get out of her car, she told me that she had written me a note and that I was to read it when I got inside. Th-"

"What did the note say?" Sam demands, urging me to continue. He didn't sound angry or annoyed that Santana had given me a note, he seemed genuinely interested, like he wanted to know more.

"It was an apology letter." I tell him, not wanting to go into details about it. The letter is private and despite Sam being my best friend, he doesn't need to know everything about it.

"So she apologised and now she's your friend?" He quizzes, shooting me a confused look. I understand why he's confused since I haven't told him the whole story. I'm just glad that he's not mad yet.

"No." I shake my head, indicating that there's more to tell. "Nothing happened after she gave me the note, but then Sue asked me to teach her a cheerleading routine and on the same day, she stuck up for me when Finn and Puck cornered me on the way to class. She came over to my house on Tuesday after school to hang out and she asked me to be her friend."

"Wait." Sam chuckles, stopping me from finishing the story. "She asked you to be her friend?"

Of course she asked me to be her friend. That's how you become friends with people, right? I begin to panic because maybe Sam is laughing because Santana asked to be my friend. Maybe he thinks that I'm not worthy to have Santana as a friend. That must be it.

"Yeah, what's wrong with that?" I challenge, not really knowing if I want to know the answer or not.

"Nothing is wrong with that, Brittany. It's just that usually, people don't ask to be your friend, they just assume that they already are."

"I don't understand." I frown in confusion. I'm relieved that Sam doesn't think that I'm not worthy of having the Latina as my friend, but I really have no idea with what he's talking about. "You and Quinn are my friends and I remember asking both of you to be my friend."

It's true, when we were younger, I asked both Quinn and Sam to be my friends because they both had the same colour of hair as me. It made sense to become friends with them.

"Yeah, but we were younger back then." He explains with a smile. "Now, people just assume that your friends with them if you hang around with them. Does that make sense?"

"Yeah, I guess." I mutter as I begin to feel a little but stupid. It all makes sense now. I never understood why everyone in glee club called me their friend, but now I do, it's because I hang around with them.

"Look, Brittany, it's getting late." He tells me, making me snap out of my own thoughts. "I still have some questions about all of this, but I'm going to leave them until tomorrow, okay?"

I nod my head in agreement with him. It is getting late and I really don't want to be answering questions until the early hours of the morning. However, before Sam leaves, I want to know if he's angry with Santana and I being friends. He doesn't seem angry, but he's very good at hiding his feelings. Sometimes, I think he should be an actor.

"Are you angry with me?" I ask, getting straight to the point. I didn't mean for it to come out that blunt and demanding, but there really is no other way to ask the question.

"No, I could never be angry at you." Sam finally speaks after a moment of thought, causing me to let out the breath that I forgot I had been holding in. "I have to be honest with you though." He continues and I begin to feel nervous again. "I am very shocked and upset that you didn't tell me about this sooner, and I still don't trust Santana. I th-"

"She's not a bad person." I interrupt, cutting him off. I know that it's rude to talk over people, but I just couldn't help it. Santana isn't a bad person.

"I didn't say she was a bad person. However, after what she has done to you, she's not someone I fully trust. She's your friend though and because of that, I will try and get along with her, but before I do that, I want to talk to her alone. Does that sound fair?" I can tell that Sam is taking this really seriously and I can't help but smile at him. I like it when he gets protective, it's nice to know he cares.

"That sounds fair." I agree. "Thank you for tonight Sam, you're the best. I love you." I throw my arms around his neck and hug him tightly. It feels as if a big weight had been lifted now that he knows about my new friend and I'm super happy about that.

"I love you too, B." Sam mumbles into my hair. "I'm happy for you because this is progress. Even though you're not talking to anyone new, you're opening up to someone else and that is great. I'm so proud of you." I feel him press a kiss to the top of my head and my arms tighten around him. It's nice to know that I've finally made someone proud of me.

* * *

Santana is sleeping in my bed and now I don't know if I can sleep in it as well. The bed is big enough for the two of us, Quinn and I share it when she comes over to stay all the time, but Quinn is my best friend. Santana isn't. Would it be weird if I shared a bed with her?

I think it would be.

Coming to the decision that it might not be a good idea to sleep beside Santana, I grab an extra pillow off of my bed and take a spare blanket out of my cupboard. It's not very cold tonight since the heating is on, so one blanket should do. I place them on the floor, making up my makeshift bed, and then move to my dresser to find a pair of pyjamas to wear.

After I get changed in my bathroom, I go through to Courtney's room to check on her. She's sound asleep, so I turn off her tv and put her bedside light on before tucking her in.

"Goodnight Court." I whisper as I place a kiss on her forehead, being careful not to wake her. "Goodnight dad." I add, knowing that I can't say it once I get back into my bedroom.

When I get back into my bedroom, I come to the conclusion that Santana must be a heavy sleeper because she hasn't moved at all since Sam placed her in the bed. Shrugging at the thought, I lie down in my makeshift bed and snuggle into George who must have fallen on the floor earlier. Either that or Lord Tubbington must have pushed him off the bed, he gets jealous of George very easily.

Closing my eyes, I try to relax my body and mind so that I can try to get some sleep. It's pointless though, because I really don't think I can get to sleep when Santana is here.

* * *

I guess I must have fallen asleep because when I wake up, the first thing I notice is how sore my neck is. Sleeping on the floor is not comfy, no wonder Lord Tubbington always tries to steal my bed. Sitting up slowly, I roll my head from one shoulder to another to help get rid of the pain in my neck, it helps a little bit.

I don't know what time it is, but the sun is shinning through the cracks in the curtains and I can hear the tv on downstairs along with my mom and Courtney's voices, so I guess that it can't be that early in the morning.

I look over to my bed to find Santana still sleeping, she looks so peaceful. I want to wake her up to see if she's okay, but I know that it wouldn't be a good idea to do that. I need to listen to Sam's advice and let her sleep for as long as she needs to.

My stomach begins to rumble and even though I could sit and watch Santana sleep for hours, I decided that just now would be a good time to get up and get something to eat for breakfast. I'll probably have to make Courtney something for breakfast too because my mom always forgets to make it in the morning. I'll also have to make Santana something, so it makes sense that I start making it just now because it's going to take a while.

_'Good morning :) I've gone downstairs to make breakfast. You can come down to or you can stay up here, I'll be back as soon as I can - Brittany' _

I place the note on the pillow bedside Santana's head before quietly exiting the room, leaving her to rest for a little while longer.

Instead of going through to the front room where I know my mom and Courtney will be, I go straight into the kitchen. I can tell from the clean state that its in that my mom hasn't made breakfast for her and Courtney, and that annoys me a little bit. She could have at least made my sister something to eat.

"Brittany, mom wants to know what's for breakfast." I turn around to see Courtney standing in the doorway. She's still in her pyjamas, but she has her glasses on so I have a feeling that she's been up for a while. Courtney never wears her glasses early in the morning, she always forgets to put them on because she's still so tired. I want to tell her to go and get dressed, but since my mom is in the house I can't because I'm not in charge.

"I don't know." I shrug in response. I haven't thought about what I'm going to make yet. "What do you want to eat?" It's easier just to let my sister choose because then she won't complain and I won't have to make a decision. It's a win win situation.

"Eggs and bacon!" She orders as she takes a seat at the kitchen island. Eggs and bacon is a good idea because I'm pretty sure that everyone likes that. I hope Santana does because I'm going to make her some too.

Once I have all the ingredients that I need, I place them all on the countertop so that I'm ready to cook. It may come as a surprise that I'm able to cook, but after my dad died and my mom started working more, I was forced to learn so that I could feed me and my sister.

"Is mom lying on the couch?" I ask Courtney, keeping my eyes trained on the frying pan in front of me. If my mom is lying on the couch then I don't want Santana to come downstairs and see her because she might think that my mom is lazy. My mom isn't lazy, she just works really hard and on Friday and Saturday nights, she likes to go out with her friends. I don't know where she goes though, she never tells me.

"Yeah." Courtney answers, the annoyance clear in her voice. "She made me turn the tv off because it was hurting her head."

"Do you know if she's taken any painkillers?" I glance towards the door to check if my mom is there, but she isn't. I didn't think she would be though, because on a Saturday she lies on the couch until lunchtime.

"I don't think so." My sister shakes her head in response, making me role my eyes. I don't like it when my mom doesn't take care of herself. "When I went downstairs she was already lying on the couch and she hasn't moved since then."

"Okay, I'll get her some when I've finished cooking her breakfast." I say more to myself than to Courtney. Luckily, I'm nearly finished cooking breakfast for my mom, so if I get her painkillers, she should be feeling better soon. "Court, can you please get four plates out the cupboard?"

"Why four?" She questions as she jumps off the stool. "There's only three of us." I forgot I hadn't told her about Santana. I guess I just got ok caught up in thinking about my mom that I forgot to tell her.

"Santana is upstairs." I answer. "She came over for movie night and fell asleep here so I let her stay over." So the last part is sort of a lie, but I don't want Courtney knowing that Santana was upset. It's none of her business.

"Can I go and see her?" I can hear the excitement in my sister's voice and I can't help but smile, I'm glad that she likes Santana.

"Well she's sleeping just now." I explain to Courtney as I take the plates out of her hands, placing them on the kitchen island. "You can see her when she comes down for breakfast, okay?"

"Okay." She agrees with a nod. I pile the cooked food onto the plate for my mom and then go to the cupboard to get her some painkillers along with a glass of water.

"Take this to mom please." I instruct, placing everything onto a tray so that it's easier for my sister to carry. "I'll start making your breakfast just now."

* * *

"Hey Santana." As soon as I hear Santana's name come out of my sister's mouth, I spin around to see Santana standing awkwardly in the kitchen with her phone in one hand and my note in the other.

"Good morning." Santana replies, but I have a feeling that she's talking more to me than to Courtney because she's staring straight at me. I want to go over an hug her because she sill looks like she's sad, but I'm still cooking so I don't think that it would be a very good idea.

"Sit down." Courtney instructs, motioning to the free space next to her. Santana does as she's told and crosses the room, taking a seat next to my sister. It disappoints me a little bit because I wanted to sit next to Santana, but now I'm going that have to sit opposite her. I know I'm acting childish, so I just turn around and continue to cook breakfast.

"Brittany is cooking breakfast." My sister states, stealing Santana's attention once again. "Do you like bacon and eggs?"

"I love bacon and eggs." I hear the Latina confirm and a sense of relief washes over me. I'm glad that she likes bacon and eggs because I don't know what I'd do if she didn't.

Luckily, I've just finished making everything, so I grab the plates of food that I've made up for my sister and Santana, and I take then over to where they're sitting before getting my own breakfast and taking a seat across from them.

"Thank you for making breakfast, Brittany." Santana smiles as she picks up her fork and takes a bite of it. I watch nervously as she eats, I hope she likes it. I don't want her thinking that I'm a bad cook. "This is amazing." She finally announces, causing me to relax. Now that I know she's enjoying it, I'll be able to enjoy my own.

I just smile back at Santana because I don't know what else to do since I don't have my phone or notebook with me, so even if I did know how to respond to Santana's compliment, I wouldn't be able to. Santana and I start eating in silence. It's not an awkward silence though, it's like the silence everyone has at breakfast time. Unless they speak with their mouths full of food, but that's just gross.

Courtney finishes her breakfast first and races straight upstairs. I think it's because she's embarrassed that Santana is here and she's still in her pyjamas, but I don't understand why she's feeling like that because I'm still in my pyjama shorts and tank top and it doesn't bother me. Should it bother me? I mean Quinn and Sam have seen me in my pyjamas and they're my friends and it doesn't bother me, so it should be the same for Santana, right? I think Courtney is just overreacting. She does that sometimes.

After breakfast, Santana and I go back up to my room. Courtney wanted to come too (she came back downstairs once she was dressed), but my mom shouted her through to the front room just as we were going upstairs and I haven't seen her since. She knows where we are though, so if she wants to come in then she can.

Currently Santana is sitting on the chair next to my desk and I'm sitting on cross legged on my bed. I don't really know what to do because the whole situation is so new to me. I've never had anyone that I couldn't speak to in my room before. Well, except from my mom, but she doesn't count. I also have tons of questions to ask Santana about last night, but I don't know how to ask her them. I don't want to force her into telling me anything.

"Brittany," I turn my head in the Latina's direction when I hear her call my name. I think that her voice might be one of my favourite things to listen to because it's soft, warm and gentle all at the same time. "I, uhm, just wanted to say thank you for everything you did for me last night and for making breakfast this morning. I know I just turned up here and ruined your night, but I didn't know where else to go and you were the only person that I knew wasn't going to judge me, I'm sorry."

Santana doesn't need to be sorry. She didn't do anything wrong and she definitely didn't ruin my night. She was just sad, and that's okay. People are allowed to be sad sometimes. I want to tell Santana all of this, but I don't think that writing it down will have the same effect as verbally telling her this would, and that frustrates me. So, instead of writing anything down, I get up from where I'm sitting and walk over to where she is. Santana stands up from her seat too and I'm glad that she does because it makes everything so much easier for me.

I lift my arms up and wrap them around Santana's body, pulling her closer to me. I think that Santana likes hugs because I feel her relax in my arms and I hear her sigh, feeling her breath hit my neck as she rests her head on my shoulder. This just makes me hug her tighter because I really like having her in my arms.

"What's this for?" Santana asks, breaking the comfortable silence between us. She lifts her head from my shoulder so that she can look up at me and I instantly miss the contact. I don't know why I do though because I've never missed the contact when Quinn and I hug like that. It confuses me a little bit.

"Shit, you can't answer that." Santana curses, laughing lightly at her own mistake. I begin to pull away from the Latina because I think that maybe she doesn't want me to hug her anymore, but when I try to, she wraps her arms back around me and closes the distance between us.

"Please don't let me go…" I hear her whisper as her head finds my shoulder once again. Her voice is so small and weak and I can tell that she's upset. I don't know why she is, but if she doesn't want me to let go of her then I won't.

* * *

Sorry for the wait. School and life got in the way. I seriously don't know where the time goes anymore! All mistakes are mine, I'm really tired and I haven't properly read through it so the chances are that there is probably a lot of them.

I guess you can call this chapter a filler since nothing has really happened, but I just felt as if I needed to put it out there. Originally, it was longer, but I decided to cut it in half because it just didn't flow right. The next update is going to be long and it's an important update which is why I've decided to split it off from this one. The other half should be up soon, once I've finished it.

I'm still having to update on my phone and the battery is going to run out at any minute which is why I can't reply to anyone's reviews right now. I'm really sorry! However, if you have questions or anything, PM me and I'll answer them :) I promise I'll answer reviews in the next update.

Thank you to everyone who has read, reviewed and alerted. I really appreciate it and I would love it if you'd review this update too :D

**Knowthescore:** Thank you! I hate writing sad Santana, but Brittany will definitely be helping her out :)

**Nayalove: **Quinn sees Brittany like a sister, she loves her like family, nothing more than that :)

**Mixedtapesandcellmates: **I'm glad you like this fic as well as my other one! Thank you for reading! There eventually will be an unholy trinity friendship, don't worry :)

**Lemon-rind: **All I'm going to say about Sam is that he's too smart for his own good. His comment "Although, I have a feeling that the two of you will be fighting in the future." Will be explored further when he speaks to Santana one on one :)

**Naynay1963: **More about Santana's past will be revealed in the next update. I was going to write about it in this update, but it just didn't seem to flow together nicely. I've taken things from our discussion and I've thought of a few ideas about what they're going to talk about. I'm excited to write it! Thanks for your review :)

**Rosetoast:I**'m so glad that you understand where Quinn is coming from in this! I was afraid that people were just going to think that she was a bitch that didn't want Brittany to have any friends, but that isn't the case. She just doesn't want to see her hurt. Thank you for your review :)

**Mushaboom21: **Don't worry, Georgina will be making a reappearance soon! I agree, sweet lady kisses sound like a great idea! You never know what can happen… ;P

**Emciegie:** thank you for your review! Sam is very laid back, and trusts Brittany's judgement. However, he is still protective of her and will put Santana in line if he needs to!

**Icesk8er: **Thank you for the review! Talking about it would be a big help, and her talking about things to Brittany will be in the next update! Brittany's confidence issues are a big problem and I'm glad that you picked up on that! It is definitely something that Santana is going to try and help her with.

**Pridemunkeyz:** Quitt in the next update! I promise! I will put lots of Quitt in it just for you! I agree, Sam is the best friend ever! Also, kidnapping Brittana seems like a great idea!

**Wkgreen:** Don't worry, Brittany will definitely be doing just that! ;)

**Gleeeeeeeek89:** look who finally decided to read? I'm glad you enjoy it! Santana's past is a mystery, but it will all be revealed soon.

**JF1993: **I'm with you on that, I'd love to have a friendship like Quinn and Brittany's. Sam and Brittany's relationship is just a equally as important though. As we all know, Brittany is a loving, caring and fun girl and I hope that in my updates, people notice that Sam helps to bring out these sides to her. I know that at this point in the fic, all relationships that Brittany has with adults (excluding Sue) have all been rather negative, but I promise their is a reason for that!

That was what I was aiming for! As I was writing it, that's exactly what I visualised! I was going to write that Brittany caught/noticed Santana standing in the doorway, but I decided against it because it just didn't seem to flow right.

I've always thought that Brittany was supposed to be more of a physical character. She's one of few words as I'm relieved that you and a lot of other readers like that she is more of a physical person in this. I'm also glad that you like Brittany's reaction to whenever she's with Santana. Like I wrote in a previous update, Brittany has never been in a relationship or liked anyone so all of these feeling are/will be new to her and she doesn't exactly know what they are or what to do with them.

The thing about Quinn is that, along with Sam, she's the only one that has been there for Brittany. So even when Santana is being nice, Quinn doesn't want to believe it because she doesn't want her best friend getting hurt. When Brittany stopped talking, it didn't just effect her, it effected everyone around her (especially Quinn which is what leads to her insecurities, but that will all be explained later). I don't blame Santana for being hurt either, but Brittany is loyal to Quinn because she realises and appreciates just how much she's done for her and even though she can be a little overbearing at times, Brittany is always going to forgive her best friend. It'll be a hard cycle to break out of.

Santana is a mysterious character and I think that because I don't write from her pov, it adds to that. She realises that Brittany is special and hopefully, Brittany will catch on soon.

Thank you so so so much for review, it means a lot :)


	12. The Green Monster

**Incoming from Sam:** 'Hey Bumblebee, Quinn and I were wondering if we could come over, is that okay? xx'

As I read Sam's text, I begin to panic. Sam and Quinn want to come over and Santana is still here. I glance over at my friend who is sitting next to me on my bed. I don't want her to leave, but I also don't want Quinn finding out about her. Well, I do want Quinn to find out about me and Santana being friends, but I want to be the one to tell her about it.

"Is everything okay, Brittany?" Santana asks as she places her hand on top of my thigh, causing the funny fuzzy feeling to shoot through my leg.

I shrug my shoulders because I really don't know if everything is okay, and then I show her the text from Sam. I watch as she frowns at the words on the screen, and I begin to panic even more because she doesn't look too happy about them.

"Do you want me to leave?" She questions, her voice is softer and quieter than it was a minute ago, it's like she's upset.

I immediately shake my head from side to side. I don't want Santana to leave, I like having her here with me, but at the same time, I don't want Quinn to find out that Santana is here.

"I won't leave if you don't want me to." She tells me, squeezing my thigh gently as she does so. "I can just hang out with Courtney or something until your friends leave."

That sounds like a great idea and I don't know how I didn't think of it. As long as Santana and Courtney are quiet, then everything will work out fine.

**Sending to Sam: **'Of course you can Jazz. Santana is still here though , but she's going to hangout with Courtney in her room xx'

**Incoming from Sam:** 'Nice Transformers reference! That's cool, I'll try and keep the visit short, we'll be there in 10 xx'

I show Santana the conversation with Sam and she giggles a little bit. I think it's because of the Transformers reference. Usually, when people laugh at what I've written I get really worried and nervous, but this time I don't. I don't know why I don't, it's just different when I'm with Santana.

"I'll go and hide out in Courtney's room." Santana announces as she slides off my bed. "I hope you have fun with Sam and Quinn."

* * *

"Is your mom home?" Is the first question Quinn asks when she enters my bedroom and takes her usual seat on the chair next to the desk.

Quinn and Sam have just arrived and since we're all best friends, they don't need to ring the doorbell when they come round to visit. I guess that they never saw my mom when they came up the stairs because she is still in the house, but she'll probably go out in a little while.

"Yeah she's home." I answer, nodding my head at the same time to confirm my answer. "I think she's in the front room, why?"

"I was just wondering." She answers with a wave of her hand, signalling that she wants to end the conversation. I don't know why Quinn is asking about my mom, but she usually does it when she comes to visit. "So what have you been doing today?"

"Nothing much." I shrug, not wanting to go into much detail about my day. "I've been looking after Courtney."

"I thought you said your mom was home?" Quinn quizzes, frowning at my previous answer.

"She is."

"So why are you looking after your sister?"

I shrug my shoulders. I don't know why I'm looking after my sister. I used to only look after her when my mom worked Monday to Friday, but lately, I've had to look after her on the weekends as well because my mom is too tired to do it herself.

"Sam, can you go outside for a minute?" Quinn asks my other blonde friend, turning her attention away from me and directing it onto him. "I need to talk to Brittany about our little argument."

"Sure." Sam smiles and walks towards the bedroom door. He's not bothered about having to leave because when we were younger, we came up with the rule that we wouldn't get involved in each other's arguments if we didn't need to. "I'll go and hang out with Courtney for a bit."

Just by looking into Sam's eyes, I can tell that he's going to go and have that chat with Santana. I don't mind that he's going to do that, but I wish that I could have given her some kind of warning about it. Sam isn't scary, but I don't want him upsetting Santana.

"Okay." I answer, doing my best to act as if nothing out of the ordinary is happening. "I'll text you when you can come back through." Sam smiles at my response and then leaves, leaving  
Quinn and I alone.

"Brittany..." Quinn breathes out, nervously playing with her fingers as she thinks of what to say next. "I'm sorry for what happened that day in the locker room." I can tell from Quinn's soft tone of voice that she really is sorry for what happened between us, and that is okay because I'm sorry too. It was just a big misunderstanding and it was made worse because we were angry at each other.

"It's okay, Quinn." I stand up from my bed and cross the room, sitting down onto my best friend's lap when I reach her. "I'm sorry too, it was just a big misunderstanding, right?" She nods her head in reply and I can't help but smile in relief, I'm glad that I was right. I wrap my arms around Quinn's neck and hug her, resting my head on her shoulder. It's not the comfiest of positions, but I've missed hugging her.

"I've missed your cuddles, Brittany." Quinn giggles, it's like she's reading my mind because that's exactly what I was thinking about. "I love you Brittany, you're like my little sister and that's why I care so much about you."

Quinn's comment takes me off guard because I totally wasn't expecting it. She's told me it before, but it just seems so out of place right now since we're talking about cuddles. "I know Quinn." I answer automatically. "I love you too." I really do love Quinn because I know that without her, I'd probably have no one except from Sam to look after me. I know that people think Quinn is a bitch, but she really isn't. She's one of the nicest people in the whole world, she's just guarded and that's okay. People are allowed to be guarded.

"That's why I got angry that day in the locker room." She tells me, continuing on from her previous point. "When you told me that it was Santana who helped you, I just couldn't understand it. I was already so angry at myself for not being there to protect you, but when you told me someone else had, I lost it." Quinn's voice is shaking a little bit, I don't know if it's because she's angry or because she's trying not to cry, so I hug her tighter to comfort her. "It just makes me so angry that I couldn't be there to help you, but someone else was."

I listen to what Quinn is saying, and I understand her. Ever since I stopped talking, Quinn and Sam took it upon themselves to look out for me at school and at home. So I can understand why Quinn was angry and upset when I told her that someone else was able to help me. It must be weird for her to know that someone else looked out for me when that hasn't happened in a long time.

"It's okay Quinn, I understand." I mumble into her neck before lifting my head up and kissing her cheek, showing her that I'm not angry or upset by her actions. "So you weren't angry that it was Santana who helped me out?" I don't really want to ask this question, but I know I have to. I need to see how annoyed Quinn is at my new friend before I can make a decision on whether or not to tell Quinn about my friendship with the Latina.

Quinn opens her mouth to speak, but then pauses for a second as she tries to think of what to say. "I don't trust the girl at all." Is what she finally decides on, and it upsets me because I really want her to get along with Santana. "However, as much as it pains for me to say, I do need to thank her for looking out for you and I also need to apologise to her."

This completely takes me by surprise. Quinn never ever apologises unless she has to. I have no idea why she needs to apologise to Santana though because I don't think she's done anything to her. "Why do you need to apologise to her?" I ask eagerly, wanting to know the answer.

"Sam and I were talking about Spanish today." She tells me, laughing lightly at my eagerness. It makes me feel a little bit embarrassed since she's laughing at my actions, so I lower my head to rest on her shoulder once again so that I can't see her. "Anyway, we got on the subject of Santana and I realised that on Friday, I shouldn't have shouted at her for trying to help you out."

"Why did you shout at her?" I question, even though I think I know the answer to that already. I think it's because Quinn just isn't used to the idea of other people helping me out and like I said before, I can understand why she is like that.

"I just couldn't understand why she was helping you." She answers truthfully. "She had been acting like a bitch to you for so long, and then when I turned around that day in Spanish and found you sitting right next to her, I lost it. I just couldn't understand why she was helping you and why you were trusting her."

I'm glad that Quinn told me the truth because now I know how she really feels. If I was in her position, I would be annoyed too. "Why do you need to apologise to her?" I still don't understand why Quinn needs to apologise to Santana because I'm pretty sure that she doesn't mind that Quinn shouted at her because she did say some mean things in return.

"It was Sam's idea for me to do it." She confesses and I can't help but smile. Sam is always good at persuading Quinn to do things. "He made me realise that even though she may have been a bitch in the past, she was only trying to help you and that I should be encouraging that instead of preventing you from interacting with her."

"That's really nice of you, Quinn." I can't think of anything else to say, so I just cuddle in closer to Quinn to show her how happy I am. Even if Quinn still doesn't trust or like Santana, by apologising to her, it shows that she's at least trying to make an effort and that makes me happy.

My best friend just hums in agreement and we sit in silence. It's a nice silence and I'm so glad that Quinn and I have everything sorted out because I really missed her company. My thoughts begin to drift to Santana and Sam who are in Courtney's room. I know that Sam isn't going to do anything to upset her, but I really want to know what they're talking about. The fact that Sam wants to do it in private makes me nervous because it means that he probably won't tell me everything that they spoke about. I could always ask Santana, but I don't know if I can trust her enough to believe everything she says.

The sound of Quinn's phone vibrating on the wooden desk brings me out of my thoughts. I lift my head from the blonde's shoulder and then turn to look at her, waiting for her to tell me who text her. "That's Rachel." She tells me as she slips her phone into her cardigan pocket. "She wants me to go and see her just now, so I need to leave."

It disappoints me that she is leaving so soon, but at the same time I'm relieved that she is because it means that Santana doesn't need to hide out in Courtney's room anymore. "Have fun." I say sincerely as I slide off her lap. "Do you need me to give you a ride there?" I ask, knowing that she and Sam shared a car to get here.

"No thanks." She politely declines. "I drove Sam and I here, will you be able to give him a ride home?"

"Yeah, of course I can." I confirm with a nod, knowing that Sam will probably be staying for a while since he's still arguing with Mercedes.

"Great!" Quinn beams as she stands up. "I'll call you later." She wraps her arms around me and I wrap my arms around her waist, hugging her tightly. "I love you, Brittany." She tells me as she pulls away and kisses my cheek.

"I love you too, Quinn." I mirror her actions and kiss her check as well. "Now go and have fun with Rachel, I'll speak to you later."

Quinn exits my bedroom and I watch from my bedroom window as she gets into her car and drives away. As soon as she's gone, I rush out of my room and across the hallway so that I'm standing outside Courtney's bedroom. I can't hear any noise from the outside, so I just walk in and I'm shocked at what I see.

Santana and Sam are hugging.

I don't understand it. Santana is my friend and I like hugging her. Sam doesn't need to hug her. She can get all of her hugs from me. I stand in the doorway and glare at Sam because I don't know what else to do.

Santana notices me first and as soon as she does, she escapes Sam's embrace. "Ugh, h-hi Brittany." She stutters as she does her best to smile at me.

I want to smile back at her, but I can't. I don't know how I feel about this whole situation right now. I just don't get it. My head is telling me to be angry and I don't know why.

"Brittany?" Sam says, sensing that something is bothering me. He's always been good at that. "It isn't what it looks like."

I don't even know what he means by that. I'm just so confused right now. If I wasn't so stupid then I could probably understand all these emotions that I'm feeling, but I can't and it frustrates me.

"Brittany." Sam repeats, but this time he's standing in front of me. He reaches out to place his hand on my shoulder, but I move backwards so I'm not even in the room anymore. I don't want to even look at Sam right now. I'm angry at him, even if I don't know why.

My head is sore just from thinking about it all and I screw my eyes tightly shut to stop the pain, it's doesn't work though. I want to ask Sam what's going on. I want to know why I'm angry right now and it frustrates me that I don't know any of these answers. I clench my fists together in frustration, making my nails dig into the palms of my hands. It hurts, but I don't care. I don't even know what's going on anymore.

I'm so confused about everything right now, but what I do know is that I don't want to be near Sam right now, so I turn swiftly on my heels and rush back into my room, shutting the door behind me. I walk straight past my bed and go over to the windowsill, taking a seat upon it. It's where I do my best thinking.

I think about what I witnessed when I walked into Courtney's bedroom. Sam and Santana were hugging and Courtney was nowhere in sight. She was probably downstairs because I'm pretty sure I heard my mom shouting on we when I was talking to Quinn. That's not the point though, the point I that Sam and Santana were hugging. I just don't get it. I didn't even think they were friends, so why were they hugging?

I rest my head against the window glass as I gaze out of it and at that moment, I see both Sam and Santana walk out I my house and towards Santana's car. They both get into it and I watch helplessly as they drive away. I can't believe that they both left me and even though it shouldn't, it hurts knowing that they have.

"Brittany!" Courtney shouts as she bursts into my room, breaking me out of my thoughts. She runs across my room, only stopping when she reaches me, and settles herself down into my lap.

I love my sister more than the whole wide world, but right now I think that I would rather be alone than have her in my company. "What do you need Court?" I ask, fixing my gaze back to outside where Santana's car was just parked.

"I have a message." She tells me, the excitement clear in her voice. Usually, I'd try and be happy and excited with her, but I'm not really in the mood for that right now. "It's from Santana." She explains further. As soon as I hear Santana's name, I turn my head to face my sister once again however this time, she's holding out a piece of paper for me to take. "I haven't read it." She states with a proud smile as she jumps off my lap. "I'm going to go watch tv." With that, she rushes out of the room, leaving me once again.

I flip the folded piece of paper over in my hands a few times, not really knowing what to do with it. I know that I need to read it, but I'm scared of what it might say. What if Santana doesn't want to be my friend anymore? That's probably what the letter will say. I mean why would she want to be my friend after what just happened? Sighing, I unfold the piece of paper. I need to just get this over with.

'_Brittany, I thought you would want some alone time so I've decided to take Sam home. I don't really know what's just happened, but I promise to explain everything to you when I come back. I promise I am coming back._

_See you soon, Santana x'_

I fold the note back up and I hop off the windowsill and walk over to my bed, taking both my diaries out from underneath it as I do so. I unlock my Santana diary and slip the note in the back of it, next to the rest of the notes that she's sent me. I write in my Santana diary everyday and I know that I should write in it today as well, but I'm not really in the mood to do so. So instead, I throw my diaries back under my bed and lay down on top if it with my eyes shut.

Santana said she'd come back, but I don't think she will. No one ever comes back.

* * *

"BRITTANY, IM GOING OUT, LOOK AFTER YOUR SISTER!" My eyes snap wide open when I hear my mom yell my name from downstairs. She seems like she's in a bad mood and I'm glad that she's going our because it means that I don't have to see her. I reach out across my bed and grab my phone to check the time. My phone tells me it's half past six and that I also have three unread messages and two missed calls.

Since its now half past six, I work out that Santana and Sam left two hours and forty five minutes ago. Santana hasn't come back, but that's okay because I have a feeling that she doesn't want anything to do with me anymore. Everyone is always like that. Instead of dwelling on that fact any further, I decide to check the messages in my phone instead.

**Incoming From Sam:** 'B, we need to talk, can I call you?' I check the time that it was sent. It was at five past five.

**Incoming From Sam:** 'I just tried to call you twice and you never picked up, please talk to me xx' That had been sent at five forty five.

**Incoming From Quinn:** 'Sam said you weren't picking up your phone when he tried calling you, is everything okay? Do you need me to come over? xox' That had been sent at quarter past six.

I decide to text Quinn back first because I don't know how to reply to Sam and I don't want Quinn to worry about me. I would love for her to come over and keep me company, but I know that she's spending her Saturday night with Rachel and I don't want to ruin that for her.

**Sending to Quinn:** 'I fell asleep and didn't notice it ringing. Don't worry about me, I'm fine, I'll call you tomorrow xox'

Knowing that Quinn will be satisfied with my response, I slip my phone into my pocket, roll out of bed and make my way downstairs in search of my sister. It doesn't take long to find her, she's sitting in the front room reading a book. When she notices that I'm standing in the doorway, she finishes reading the page that she's on and puts her bookmark in to keep her place.

"Mom is gone." I say, stating the obvious. "What do you want to do tonight?"

"Can we play the dancing game for the Wii? I'm so going to best you this time!" I laugh because my sister never beats me on the game, but I nod my head anyway, if she wants to play it then we will.

"Okay." I nod my head. "You can set it up and I'll go and gets us some snacks and drinks."

We're halfway through our fifth dance when the doorbell rings, causing us to pause the game, which makes Courtney groan in protest. "I'll be back in a minute!" I say to her as I make my way into the hallway and to the front door, opening it when I get there.

"Hi." Santana says once the door is fully open. "I told you I'd come back." I honestly thought that Santana wasn't going to come back so it completely shocks me when I see her standing there. I move out of the doorway and gesture for her to come inside. The situation feels so familiar.

"Santana!" Courtney shrieks as she sticks her head out from the front room to see what's going on. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm, uh, here to hang out." She answers back quickly. "If that's okay with you?" I know that the question is directed at me since Santana is now looking my way, waiting for my response. However, before I can even nod my head, Courtney grabs Santana's hand and pulls her towards the front room.

* * *

Santana and I are alone now because Courtney went to a sleepover at her friends house who only lives down the street. We're in my bedroom, both sitting on my bed, but I don't know what to do. I liked it better when Courtney was in the house with us because she distracted me and Santana, making sure that there were no awkward silences, but now, there's just one big awkward silence and I don't like it.

I glance over at Santana to see that she's staring at me, so I quickly look away from her. I don't want her to think that in weird and that I'm staring at her. "Brittany, can we maybe discuss what happened earlier?" Santana asks, breaking the silence as she places a comforting hand on my leg.

Her hand lying on my leg makes it feel all warm and tingly, causing me to look down at it. I just don't understand how someone's touch can have that effect on me, it's never happened before. I think that Santana thinks that I don't want her hand there because she begins to slowly pull away. I do want her hand there though, so I grab it and return it to its place.

'_Yeah we can talk about it.'_ I type out on my phone before handing it to Santana. I'm not too sure what she wants to discuss about it, but if it means that I get to hear her voice then I don't mind.

"Great." Santana throws me a weak smile as she runs her free hand through her hair. "What you saw with Sam and I was nothing." She says slowly, choosing her words carefully. "He was just being a good guy and comforting me."

When I hear that Sam was only comforting Santana, I relax a little bit. It still confuses me though because I don't understand why Santana would need comforting, however, I am glad that Sam was there for her since I couldn't be.

'_You don't have to explain it to me, it's okay. I shouldn't have just walked out like that.'_ I feel bad that I walked out on Sam and Santana like I did earlier without even hearing their explanations. I did overreact and I know that I need to apologise for it.

"No, you had every right to walk out." Santana disagrees, shaking her head at the same time. "You were confused about what was going on and I get that. If I had been in your position then I would have been to."

I can't believe that Santana is being so forgiving and understanding about all of this because, in my opinion, she shouldn't be. When I saw her and Sam hugging, something came over me and I got angry at them. That shouldn't have happened and Santana shouldn't have to be explaining herself to me. This has never happened to me before.

"So, are we cool now?" Santana asks, bumping her shoulder playfully against mine. I nod my head and smile at her because of course we're cool. "Sam wasn't even a good hugger, I know someone who is much better." She adds as she shuffles a little bit closer to me.

My brow furrows as I think about what Santana just said. I don't know who she could be talking about and I begin to wonder if maybe she hugs a lot of people. Not that it would be any of my business if she did.

"Gosh, Brittany, you look so cute like that!" Santana giggles at the confused expression on my face. "You're who I'm talking about." She confesses shyly. "You're the better hugger than Sam."

Santana doesn't look at me when she says that and I think that it's because she's embarrassed. She has nothing to be embarrassed about though because even Quinn thinks I'm a good hugger. Instead of typing out a reply on my phone, I wrap my arms around Santana and pull her close to me. It's not the most comfortable position to be in, but I like having Santana in my arms so I don't really mind.

* * *

I'm sorry for the lateness of this. I don't even know what happens. It's like time goes so fast and before I know it, it's been a month since I updated. I keep feeling like I'm writing filler updates, but I promise you I'm not. I just ended this one where I did because it just didn't seem right going any further. Although, I do promise that in the next update there will be a lot more Brittana.

It's 12:30 am, I'm tired and I haven't checked this thoroughly, so all mistakes are mine.

Thank you to everyone who reviewed the last update, they made me smile. More reviews would be nice, they're very good motivators. I would also like to hear your ideas if you have any.

Mixtapesandcellmates: Mysterious Santana is fun to write. I was thinking about writing an update in her pov, but I don't know if I should

Heyaarmy1: Only time will tell :)

Wkgreen: I hope you like this update!

Icesk8er: Santana is a complicated character with a lot of problems going on. The first of these will be hinted in the next update :)

Pridemunkeyz: I gave you Quitt! I hope you enjoyed it haha. I even have you cuddly Quitt because I knew it needed to be in there :)

Nayalove: Thank you, I'm glad that you like the pace that its at. I know that it may seem like it's progressing slow, but in my opinion, that's what makes it more realistic. I'm really glad you like it!


	13. Broken

I think that the best word that you could use to describe Brittany would be interesting. The girl really is something special and I can honestly say that the more time I spend with her, the more interesting she becomes. There's so much that I could say about Brittany that I don't even know where to start, although I guess I should start from my first impression of her.

The day I walked into Mr Zitkus' art class, I was as nervous as hell, not that I'll actually admit that to anyone. However, in my defence, it was my first day at a new school so I had a reason to be. As I scanned the room of the teenagers my age, myeyes immediately locked with the bright piercing blue eyes that belonged to Brittany, and I just couldn't seem to look away. Out of everyone else in the room, Brittany was the most captivating. There was just something about her that attracted me towards her and I knew right there and then that I wanted to get to know her.

Of course, on that same day I found out that Brittany couldn't speak, and to this day, I still regret how I reacted to that information. I should never of been mean to her about the fact that she couldn't speak, but I never knew how serious it actually was. At first, I thought that she didn't want to talk to me, so that's why I started to make fun of her. I knew that it wasn't the right thing to do, but I was just so frustrated that she wouldn't talk to me that I thought that if I annoyed her enough, then she would snap and talk to me.

It was a stupid thing to do, I know that.

The day that I found out about Brittany not being able to talk to anyone was such an emotional and stressful day, and it barely even involved me! When Mr Schue embarrassed her in front of the entire Spanish class and I saw the terrified look in her blue eyes, I felt physically sick. It was then that I knew that Brittany not speaking wasn't a personal attack on me, but it was in fact, a genuine fear that she had.

At that moment, when Mr Schue was trying to force her to speak, I just wanted to wrap her up in my arms and cuddle the crap out of her, and protect her from everything.

Hell, I still want to do that.

"Lopez, wait up!" Puck's voice causes me to break out of my thoughts and I stop walking, turning in the half empty corridor to face him.

"What do you want Puckerman?" I sigh, tapping my foot impatiently as I wait for him to catch up with me. It's lunch hour now and I'm hungry, hence why I'm in quite a bad mood.

"Hey Santana, I have a question for you." He greets with a smile once he's standing in front of me, causing me to roll my eyes at him. He may act like a nice guy, but Puck's a self absorbed, arrogant pig and I hate that about him. The only reason that I hang around with him, and the rest of the Cheerios and the football team, is because it's good for my reputation.

"Spit it out then!" I snap when I realise that he's not going to say anything else without a reaction from me. "I don't have all day!" I begin to walk again with Puck following right behind me like a lost puppy. I don't like being alone with Puck so I walk quicker than usual, hoping that once we get to the cafeteria, he'll get distracted and leave me alone.

"Since it's Friday, I was wondering if you wanted to go out on a date with me tonight?" It doesn't really come as a surprise that Puck has asked me out because ever since I came to McKinley, he's made it no secret that he likes me.

"You're joking, right?" I question as we walk into the cafeteria. I know that Puck isn't joking, but I'm hoping that if I seem repulsed by the idea then he'll get the hint and realise that I don't want to go out with him.

"I don't joke, Santana." Puck frowns as he grabs two trays for the two of us and moves to stand in line. "No one can resist the Puckasaurus."

Puckasaurus? Really? I think I just threw up in my mouth a little bit. I honestly don't understand what girls see in a guy like Puck, he's disgusting.

"Well I'm resisting you." I tell him, following him to our usual table. Thankfully, there aren't two spaces next to each other which means Puck and I won't be able to continue our conversation in private.

Puck goes to sit amongst a bunch of cheerleaders and I take the last remaining seat next to Finn. "Hey Santana!" He grins as he wraps his arm around my shoulder, pulling me into a one-sided hug that I quickly escape out of.

"Hey." I grunt before beginning to eat and as I do, I can feel the other cheerleaders disapproving glares on me. I don't care though, I love my food.

I don't bother to even attempt to join in on the conversation that's going on, instead all my attention is focused on Brittany who is sitting a few tables away with Sam, Quinn and a bunch of other kids that I don't really know. I always watch Brittany at lunch time because she's so interesting. I love watching her facial features and seeing how she reacts to things because it truly is fascinating. I'd never tell her this though because it makes me sound like some kind of creepy stalker and I'm definitely not one of those.

However, what I have noticed about Brittany is that when she's with her group of friends at lunch, she rarely looks happy. She forces a smile onto her face, but I know that it's fake because it doesn't quite reach her eyes. Whenever I see her like that, I always want to go over and keep her company and make her smile, but I know that it's a bad idea. I don't want to burden her with my presence and the make things awkward between her group of friends since I'm fairly certain that most of them hate me.

"Santana!" Finn shoves my shoulder, causing me to fall into the other person sitting next to me, effectively making me break my gaze away from Brittany. "Are you even listening to me?"

"What the hell was that?" I snarl in demand as I pick myself back up, smoothing down the front of my cheerleading uniform as I do so.

My question brings a lot of unwanted attention from other people sitting at different tables, I didn't realise I was being so loud. I begin to glare at them all individually, forcing them to look away, but I stop when I lock eyes with a very familiar pair of blue ones. Brittany smiles when she notices that I'm staring back at her and I feel all the anger that was once inside of me slowly disappear. I smile back at her before reluctantly looking away, turning my attention back to Finn.

"I asked you a question dumbass!" I hiss when I don't receive a reply from him, punching his shoulder as I do so. He winces in pain and I smile in satisfaction. No one should ever underestimate how strong I am.

"I needed to get your attention." Finn explains, doing his best to act as if he isn't in pain. "I asked you a question and you never replied."

I roll my eyes dramatically at him because right now, he's acting like a three year old. So who cares if I never heard what he said? I was too busy concentrating on a pretty blonde who was sitting a few tables away.

"I asked why you're not going out with Puck."

Really? We're still going on about this? I look across the table at the boy with the ridiculous mohawk and he smirks at me.

"So Santana, why won't you go out with me?" Puck challenges, his question causing everyone at the table to stop talking and to look at us.

There's a lot of reasons to why I would never date Puck, I can list ten right off the top of my head:

1. Puck is an idiot

2. I can't stand him

3. He has no respect for girls

4. He has a different girlfriend near enough every week

5. Sometimes I want to punch him for being so stupid

6. He's arrogant

7. He's obnoxious

8. I don't think I'm ready to be in a relationship right now

9. I have a crush on someone else

10. I'm a lesbian

Puck doesn't need to know these reasons though. Actually, no one does. It's my business and no one else's. I'm a private person and I want to keep it that way.

"Because I don't want to." I answer back, crossing my arms protectively over my chest as I do so. "You're an ass and you annoy me, why would I want to go out with someone like that?"

"I am not an ass!" He scoffs, taking offense to my comment. "I'm a great guy, all the girls love me!"

"Clearly not all of them, because I don't." I reply before standing up from the table, I really can't be bothered with anyone right now and I want to be alone so that I don't have to answer any more of their ridiculous questions. "I don't want to go out with you, get that into your thick head."

I storm away from the table and out of the cafeteria, ignoring all the looks from everyone around me. I enjoy being popular because it means that people respect you, but I also hate it because everyone is interested in your business. It's a situation that you just can't win in. It's ridiculous.

Since I don't have anywhere better to go, I make my way to the bleachers next to the football field. There's barely anyone there which surprises me since it's lunch, but at the same time I'm glad of it because I want some peace and quiet. Once I'm settled down, I rest my head in my hands and close my eyes, enjoying the peace that's surrounding me, but unfortunately, that doesn't last long.

"Lopez, we need to talk." Reluctantly I lift my head to see that head bitch Quinn Fabray is standing in front of me. She has one hand on her hip and her other one is linked with her girlfriend's, I think her name is Rachel, I'm sure Brittany has mentioned it to me before.

"What do you want, Fabitch?" I sigh, standing up so that we're the same height. I don't want her thinking she can intimidate me just because I'm sitting down. "In case you haven't noticed, I want to be alone."

"Stop with the bitch act, Santana." She demands, the frustration clear in her voice. I never knew I could annoy someone this quickly, it must be a new record. "It's getting old and quite frankly, I have no time for it."

"You stop with your bitch act, and I'll stop with mine." I compromise to which she rolls her eyes in annoyance. I don't even know what she's doing here, but I don't care, she chose to come here so I don't see why she's getting annoyed at me. It's not like I want to spend time with her anyway.

"Fine!" She huffs. "Can we talk now?"

"Why are you giving me the choice? If it was up to me then I sure as hell wouldn't be standing here next to you."

"I thought you were going to quit the bitch act?"

"I have, I was being honest!"

"You're such a bitch, Santana!"

"Thank you, I'll take that as a compliment."

"You're not meant to, yo-"

"Quinn!" Rachel interrupts her girlfriend and I have to say, I was surprised that she didn't cut in sooner because from what I've heard, Rachel always talks and she never shuts up. "Let's just get to the point because we still have to go to the choir room and get things sorted for glee club."

"Sorry babe." Quinn smiles apologetically, making me want to gag. The two of them are disgusting, I can't imagine ever acting like that with anyone. "I'll be quick, I promise."

"The two of you make me want to throw up." I comment in disgust. "Take your girlfriend and leave me alone, FabGay."

Quinn forces a smile onto her face and it creeps me out. Sure, I'll admit that Quinn has a nice face, but not when she's forcing a smile onto it. When she does that she looks like a possessed crazy person.

"I'm here to apologise to you Santana." She tells me and I have to take a moment to make sure that I'm hearing her correctly. The queen bitch actually wants to apologise to me? What the hell is going on?

"I know that I've acted like a bitch to you, but it's because I don't like you." Her comment doesn't phase me. She's made it pretty clear that she doesn't like me and I've made it clear that the feeling is mutual. "I also don't trust you, but I'm sure you knew that already."

"Quinn!" Rachel interrupts again, whispering loudly in an attempt not to interrupt. It doesn't work though. "You said we wouldn't be long."

"The point is, you're becoming close with Brittany and I don't like it." Hearing that this is about Brittany makes me angry because it really is none of Quinn's business and she doesn't need to get involved.

"I get that I acted like a bitch to her before, but I can assure you that I'm interacting with her because I want to." I state defensively. I'm not going to stand here and listen to Quinn telling me not to talk to Brittany because its not her decision to make. "So don't think you can stand here and tell me to stay away from her because if you do, I'm not going to listen. You may be able to control all the other Cheerios, but you can't control me, Fabray."

My words don't seem to phase the blonde standing in front of me, angering me so much that my body goes tense and my hands curl up into fists.

"Whatever you say, Lopez." She laughs lightly, making it clear that she doesn't believe what I just said. "I'm not here to stop it, I'm here to encourage it. I want what is best for Brittany since she is my best friend, and if she is communicating with you then I should be supportive of that."

I have to admit, even though I would never tell her this because it would only make her ego even bigger than it already is, Quinn is a great friend to Brittany. You can tell that she only wants to look after and care for Brittany, and I sometimes wish that I had a friend like that. It's easy to see that no matter what, Quinn will always have her best friend's back and it's a refreshing sight to see.

"So I apologise for freaking out in Spanish." Quinn spits out through gritted teeth. It's evident that she doesn't want to apologise to me and if I wanted to act like a bitch then I'd make her repeat it. "I was just looking out for Brittany."

"It's cool." I shrug because I don't know what else to do or say. I mean, what are you meant to do in a situation like this? "You can leave now."

"Just because I'm encouraging you to talk to Brittany, it doesn't mean I trust you." Quinn calls over her shoulder when she and Rachel begin to walk away. "I've got my eye on you, Santana."

* * *

_'Hi'_

It's amazing how a tiny piece of paper with a two lettered word on it can make my day. I look over at Brittany to see that she's smiling at me, noticing how her cheeks have gone a little bit red. That's something I've noticed a lot about Brittany, whenever she's communicating with me, she always gets embarrassed. I don't know whether it's because she gets nervous when she's communicating or if it's for a different reason, but I don't want to ask her about it because I know how insecure she is about that kind of thing.

"Hey." I say as I return her smile. Brittany has a beautiful smile and it fits her personality, she's always so fun and uplifting, it's refreshing to be around someone like that. "How are you today?"

We're in art now, it's the second last class of the day and as usual, our teacher has left us alone in the classroom so no one is actually doing their work.

'_I'm good thanks, but I'm hungry! How are you?'_

"Did you not eat lunch?" I quiz, already knowing her answer. She did eat lunch. She ate a sandwich for lunch, just like she does everyday. "I'm good, thanks for asking."

'_I did, but I'm still hungry!'_

Brittany's reply causes me to chuckle quietly to myself because I should've of know that Brittany would still be hungry. After spending so much time with Brittany, one thing I've leant about her is that she loves to eat. You wouldn't think that she did since she's in such good shape, but she does. I don't know where she puts it all.

"Now that you mention it, I'm quite hungry too." I'm not really hungry, but I saw that Brittany got a little bit uncomfortable when I chuckled at her response, so I'm trying to make her feel better. "What's your favourite food?"

_'I love all food. Food is good. What's yours?'_

"Food is good." I repeat with a nod, indicating that I agree with her. "I don't really have a favourite because it always changed. I really like fajitas though."

_'I make great fajitas! Come over tonight and I'll cook for you?'_

My breath catches in my throat when I read Brittany's proposal. She wants me to come over so that she can cook for me, that's something couples do when they're dating. I know that in Brittany's eyes, the question is innocent, but I really wish that it meant more.

"I'd love to come over tonight." I answer with a smile because even though it isn't a date, it's still something important to me.

* * *

School has just ended and I'm standing at my locker, waiting for Brittany to come and find me. I'm driving both of us to her house since she walked to school today so I can't leave without her. I wish she would hurry up though because I really just want to spend some time with her.

"Santana!" As soon as I hear Puck's voice coming from behind me, I let out a loud groan of frustration as I slowly turn around to face him. "Are you sure you don't want to go out with the Puckasaurus tonight?"

"We're not going through this again!" I exclaim as I roll my eyes at him. "The answer is no and that will never change so do me a favour and leave me alone."

"But why?" He whines, leaning up against my locker. "Everybody loves me."

"Because I have plans for tonight." Technically, I'm not lying to him since I am hanging out with Brittany tonight, and that's something I wouldn't miss since I love hanging out with her.

"Who do you have plans with?" He interrogates, moving his body closer to me. "You never told me about them before."

"That's because my plans are none of your business!" I snap, growing bored of the conversation. I open my mouth to say something else, but before any sound comes out, I feel a tap on my shoulder. I turn around quickly to find Brittany smiling at me and just like earlier, all the anger that I once had slowly disappears.

"What are you doing here, Pierce?" Puck growls, causing me to reluctantly spin back around to face him. "I'm talking to Santana, are you too stupid to see that?"

My whole body freezes when I hear the words escape Puck's mouth. Before Brittany and I were friends, I didn't realise how low her self confidence actually was and I never though that a throwaway remark like that would bother her. I know better now, and I'm one hundred percent certain that what Puck has just said has had an impact on her.

"Who the hell do you think you're talking to?" I demand as I move so that my whole body is in between Brittany and Puck. I don't want him to even look at her anymore. "Don't you dare speak like that to her again!" I growl, not even giving him a chance to explain himself.

"Relax Santana, I wa-"

"Don't you fucking tell me what to do!" I shout at him, pushing him in the shoulders so that he stumbles backwards. "You better leave Brittany alone and if I ever catch you looking at her or talking talking to her again then I will kill you!"

"Stop overreacting!" Puck exclaims, the fear evident in his eyes. "It meant nothing."

"If it meant nothing then why the hell did you say it? Get the fuck out of here, Puckerman!"

Puck swiftly turns on his heels and walks down the empty corridor. I'm glad that its the end of the day because it means that no one saw what just happened, meaning that the only person Brittany was humiliated in front of was me. I know that that doesn't make it sound any better, but it is compared to being humiliated in front of a bunch of school kids.

I turn to look at Brittany and I see that she has tears in her eyes, so I do what she does when I'm upset and I wrap my arms around her, taking in her strawberry and vanilla scent. I love having Brittany in my arms because it means that I get to have her close to me. She's so warm and soft, and whenever we hug it makes my heart flutter.

"Are you ready to go back to your place?" I ask softly after Brittany pulls out of my embrace. She nods her head in response, so I link my arms through hers and guide us towards my car.

* * *

Brittany is quiet. Okay, maybe that's not the best word to use since she's usually quiet, but right now she's sitting on her bed and is making no effort to communicate with me. On top of all that, she looks really sad and I want to cheer her up, I just don't know how.

"Hey Brittany?" I break the silence between us and I place a comforting hand on her forearm in an attempt to relax her. I think it works because the blonde lets out a breath of air and turns to face me. "Are you okay?"

She nods her head, but she doesn't make any eye contact with me and I can tell that she's lying. I don't want to call her out on it though, so I decide to drop the subject and get her to focus on something else.

"Do you want to play a game?" This really does get her attention because her curious eyes meet mine and I momentarily get lost in them.

You can't blame me though, because she really does have the most beautiful pair of eyes that I've ever seen.

'_What is the game?'_ Brittany types out on her phone before showing it to me.

I'm relieved when I see that she wants to play the game because as well as being a distraction, I suggested to play the game so that I could learn more about Brittany. I know that friends can just ask friends questions, but with the two if us it's not really the same. Brittany is a guarded person and I respect that, I understand that she won't want to give me an answer to every question that I ask, and that's okay.

"It's a get to know you game." I answer, watching as a small frown appears on her face. "We'll take it in turns and ask each other ten questions each." I explain further. "If you don't want to answer a question, then you don't have to, you can just say pass, okay?"

She nods her head enthusiastically and then reaches across the bed to grab some paper and a pen from her bedside. Once she's comfortable and ready to start, she looks at me and waits for the first question.

"What is one thing that makes you happy?" I ask the first question that pops into my head, in all honesty, I haven't even thought of any questions to ask her so I'm just going to have to improvise through the whole thing, not that I'm complaining.

_'Dancing.' _Brittany scribbles down her answer and hands it over for me to read.

"I should have known you were a dancer." I say more to myself than to her. "You're great at it." It's true, she is an amazing dancer so it makes sense that she likes dancing. I swear, I could watch her move all day, when she was teaching me the Cheerios choreography, I had a hard time paying attention because she always distracted me.

_'What is one thing that makes you happy?'_ She copies my question, handing me the piece of paper so that I can see it better.

"One thing that makes me happy is knowing that now I'm in Lima, I don't have to pretend to be someone I'm not." My statement is dangerous, I know that. It's dangerous and it opens up a lot of questions, questions that I don't want to answer right now. However, for some reason, I completely trust Brittany and I want to open up to her, just like she's opening up to me but I know that it's going to be a long process because I'm broken. I'm broken and I don't know if I can be fixed.

"If you could be any animal in the world what would you be?" I decide to ask the blonde in front of me a silly question in an attempt to distract her from my previous statement. I don't want her to dwell on it too much or she'll become curious.

It takes Brittany a minutes or so to write her answer down, but when she hands it to me it makes me smile._ 'I would be a unicorn because they're pretty awesome and magical. Quinn's a unicorn now and so is Rachel, I guess, but I don't like calling her one because she's annoying and unicorns are definitely not annoying. Kurt and Blaine are also unicorns and I'm pretty sure that they're going to have little unicorn babies one day.'_

I have to admit that at first, her response confuses me a little bit but as I read more into it, it begins to make sense. I personally don't know Kurt and Blaine, but I know who they are. Everyone at McKinley knows who they are because they're the only openly gay male couple at school, and obviously I know who Quinn and Rachel are. What they all have in common is that they're all gay, but it seems as if instead of calling them that, Brittany sees them as unicorns. It's actually very clever, but it gets me wondering… does she know that I'm one too?

I'm broken out of my thoughts when I feel Brittany gently nudge my shoulder as she holds out a question for me.

_'What's one thing that you like to do in your spare time?'_

"Singing." Automatically comes out of my mouth before I can properly think about the question. It doesn't matter though, because it is one of my biggest passions.

_'I didn't know you could sing, I bet you're really good!'_

"I wouldn't say that I'm really good, but thank you." I modestly reply as I feel my cheeks heat up from the compliment. "Who is the most important person in your life?" I really don't know where that question came from but I want to learn as much about Brittany as I can. I hope she doesn't think I'm weird.

_'__I don't know… maybe my sister or Quinn or Sam. Can I choose all of them? They're all pretty awesome. My sister always makes me feel happy, and Quinn and Sam always protect me and make me laugh. Most importantly, they all treat me like I'm normal and it makes me feel loved.'_

I really don't like the way that Brittany uses the word normal because she is normal and it pains me to see that people have made her believe that she's not. "You are normal Brittany." I breathe out as I lean over and place my hand on her knee, squeezing it slightly in an attempt to comfort her. She shoots me a weak smile and I have the sudden urge to hug her, but I don't do it because in not too sure if that's what she wants or not.

'Do you have any brothers or sisters?'

"No, I'm an only child." I explain, shaking my head as I do so. "My parents are always working so they've never really had the time for children."

Brittany looks thoughtfully at me for a moment and I really wish that I knew what she was thinking. She eventually nods here head, content with my answer and waits for me to ask her another question.

I know what I want to ask Brittany next, but I don't know if I should because I'm not too sure how she'll answer or react to it. On the other hand, I'm aware that if I want answers then I have to ask the questions. "A-Are you in, uhm, a relationship?" I stutter out, concentrating on my hands so that I don't have to look at the blonde beauty in front of me.

Seconds feel like minutes as I wait for an answer, but I never get one handed to me. Instead, I feel Brittany tap on my leg and I reluctantly look up at her. I watch as a small smile appears on her face as I look into her bright blue eyes, and she slowly shakes her head indicating that she isn't in a relationship.

When I receive her answer, a sense of relief washes over me and I let out a breath that I didn't even know I was holding. Maybe I have a chance with her. Maybe. That's if she's even into girls.

'_Are you in a relationship?'_ She questions, keeping her curious gaze on me. The innocent question makes my throat go dry as it reminds me of my previous relationship, bringing back the horrible memories.

"No, I'm not." I manage to choke out. Brittany senses my nervousness and she places her hand on top of mine, making my skin go warm. She's so soft. "Have you ever been kissed?" I press further with a sudden burst of confidence. I don't know where it came from, but I have a hunch that it's to do with Brittany's hand on top of mine.

'_No, I'm a freak. No boy or girl wants to kiss me.'_

I can't stop myself from gasping out loud at her answer because it breaks my heart. I shuffle closer to Brittany and I make sure she's looking at me so that I know I have her full attention. "You are not a freak." I state firmly, not breaking my gaze with her. "You are an amazing and beautiful person, and anybody would be lucky to kiss you."

Brittany's cheeks begin to turn red so I slowly pull away, giving her the personal space that she needs back. I watch helplessly as she blinks away the tears that have formed in her eyes and I begin to wonder if she's upset because of what I said or if it's because she's touched by it. I think it's the second option because she's clutching onto my hand tightly.

'_Where did you get your unicorn pillow pet?'_

Brittany's question just shows how great she is because she can go from being upset back to being her normal self in a matter of seconds, and that's not an easy thing to do. If I had it my way, I'd continue on with our previous discussion but I can tell that Brittany is uncomfortable with it, so I can understand why she wants to change the subject.

"I got her when I was twelve or thirteen years old. It was a gift from my mami." I inform her. "She didn't buy it for any special reason, I just came home from school one day and it was lying on my bed." That's not exactly true because my mami bought me it because she felt bad for working ridiculously long hours, but no one needs to know that, it isn't important.

"Can I, uhm, ask you quite a personal question?" Brittany eyes me suspiciously but slowly nods her head, granting me the permission that I need, although I still feel weird about asking it. "Have you always been unable to talk to everyone?"

The blonde in front of me firmly shakes her head, making it obvious that she's not going to elaborate further on the question. However, it doesn't stop my curiosity. "How old were you when you stopped?"

'_14.'_

I open my mouth to ask another question, but before I can I get handed another note.

'_I don't like this game anymore. Lets go and make some fajitas!"_

Brittany grabs my hand and before I can even register what's happening, she pulls me off the bed and begins to guide me down the stairs.

Brittany truly is amazing.

* * *

So this update is obviously in Santana's point of view, so I hope you like it. Not many will be in her pov simply because I like writing it in Brittany's more.

I don't think I'll be able to update until after Christmas just because of the busy time, so if I don't, I hope you all have a fantastic Christmas!

Also, I don't mean to sound annoying or anything, but I'd appreciate it if you'd review. Obviously, me writing this isn't about the reviews, but it takes a while to actually write an update and it would be nice to hear your thoughts on it.

To everyone who reviewed so far, I'd like to say thank you :)

Mixedtwpesandcellmates: I hope you liked this update in Santana's point of view :)

Guest: Thank you, I'm really glad you like it! I agree that all of that can't happen at once, but I promise that something big is coming up for Brittana :)

Dianna agron foreves: thank you, I hope you liked this one too!

BrittzTana: I can picture it too, but I don't think it'll happen for a while yet. However, don't worry because there's plenty of action to come before that!

Wkgreen: I hope you liked Santana's point of view and it gave you more of an insight into her character!

gleeeeeeeek89: the only Bram is friendship Bram :)

Nayalove: I think this clears up the question of whether or not Santana knows that she liked Brittany haha :)

Dranny: Thank you, I appreciate it!

azwildcats: Brittany's mother should watch out because Snix might be making an appearance soon ;)

prattle01: Hey there! Thank you, I'm really glad you like it! Santana and Sam's conversation will definitely be explored and discussed soon, I promise!

knowthescore: Thank you, I do try to update as often as possible but it just takes so long, especially since I have two fics to update haha! I'd never abandon this, so don't worry :)

JF1993: Quinn and Brittany will always just be friends because in my mind, I can never ever imagine them as anything else! So don't worry, no matter how close and physical they are with each other, nothing will ever happen! I guarantee it!

I know that the interaction between Santana and Quinn wasn't exactly action filling, but I promise that there will be a lot more to come and Santana will definitely be standing her ground ;)

I know, same here. I've always loved Sam in the show, but now I hate him! I love Chord though, I always have and I always will :P

Sam is an interesting character and I enjoy writing him in this. I've always thought that he's been an observant character and I really want to show that in this fic. Brittany is clueless, simply because she's never experienced something like this before and as well as that, she's just made friends with Santana so her emotions and feelings are all over the place. Don't worry though because in the next update, Sam will definitely be helping Brittany out with her feelings.

Don't worry about not reviewing every chapter, I just like it when you do because your reviews are awesome, so thank you :)


	14. Crushes

When I see Sam walking towards me, I let out a sigh of relief and rest my back against my locker. I've been needing to speak to Sam since Friday night, but unfortunately he's been really busy over the past weekend and he's had no time to hang out with me.

You see, I have a problem. It's a big problem and I think that Sam is really the only one that can help me with it. I'm sure Quinn could too since she's really smart, but I feel more comfortable talking to Sam about my current one because he's more open minded and understanding.

"Hey Bumblebee!" Sam greets as he pulls me in for a hug, kissing my forehead as he does so. "How are you today?"

Due to the fact that I'm still in Sam's embrace and that there's only a slight height difference between the two of us, I'm at perfect level to whisper into his ear. "M'good." I cling tighter to him, hoping that no one around us can hear me speak. I don't think they can, but you can never be too careful.

"That's good." He nods and we begin to walk to class together. Sam keeps one of his arms around my waist and pulls me close to him so that no one bashes into me on the way there, and I'm glad that he does that because the hallways are really busy.

As we walk, I realise that we're not going in the direction to our class, but instead we're going somewhere else. I know better than to question my best friend though, so I just stay quiet and continue walking with him. Besides, we have maths first and I don't really want to go there, so I'd rather skip the class with Sam anyway.

We eventually come to a stop outside the choir room and I have no idea why we're here because glee club isn't on until after school. However, before I question it further, my blonde friend guides me inside and closes the door behind us.

"You said you wanted to talk to me and I knew that this place doesn't really get used unless its for glee club, so that why we're here." Sam explains as he takes a seat by the piano and plays a few of the keys. "What is it that you want to talk about?"

"I-I need your help." I nervously stutter as I take my seat beside him. "I have a little problem."

That's a lie. I have a big problem, and that problem is Santana. I don't think problem is the right word to describe it though because problems are bad things, and Santana definitely isn't a bad thing. I don't know what else I'm supposed to call her though, so I'm just going to have to stick with calling her a problem.

Santana isn't a bad problem. Santana isn't a good problem. She's a confusing problem, and I don't know what to do about her. You see, ever since she and I became friends, I've had this funny feeling in my stomach. At first, it used to just happen when I was with her because she sometimes makes me nervous, but now it happens when I look at her, when I'm with her, and even when I'm thinking about her.

The funny feeling is sort of like the feeling you get when you're about to be sick, but it isn't sore and it's actually sort of a nice feeling. The problem that I have with it is that I don't know what it means and it frustrates me. That's why I decided to talk to Sam about it, because I'm hoping that he'll be able to explain what it all means to me.

"There's no need to be nervous, Brittany." Sam picks up on my uneasiness and places a comforting hand on my knee. "Tell me what the problem is and I'll do whatever I can to help you out."

Even though Sam is my best friend and I love him and trust him with my life, I don't want to tell him about my problem with Santana straight away because I'm scared that he's going to judge me and think that I'm weird.

"D-Do you ever get a funny feeling in your stomach when you're around someone?" I question as I lick my lips that have suddenly gone dry. I don't think that Sam understands my question because he's looking at me funny, so I open my mouth to explain it further, but he beats me to it before I can.

"Is it a good feeling or a bad feeling?" He asks as he turns his body so that he's facing me, giving me his full attention.

"Both." I answer automatically. "It's good because it's like a warm and fuzzy feeling which feels nice in a weird way, but it's bad because sometimes it makes you feel like you're going to be sick."

"I see." He nods his head as he takes the information in. "Do you get this feeling around one person or more than one person?"

"Just one person." I tell him, my mind drifting to Santana. I've not seen her today and that disappoints me a little bit because she's so pretty and she always makes me smile. Also, she's really smart and I even thought about talking to her about my problem instead of Sam, but I decided against it because I thought that it would be too hard to describe on a piece of paper.

"Is this person a boy or a girl?" He questions further, taking me completely off guard as I wasn't expecting it. Does it really matter if its a boy or a girl?

"It's a girl."

I squeeze my hands together tightly as I watch an unreadable expression appear on my best friend's face and this worries me because Sam never has unreadable expressions.

"Is there a problem with that?" I ask with a sudden burst of confidence, causing him to break out of his own thoughts.

"No, of course not." Sam chuckles as he runs his hand that isn't resting on my leg through his short hair, his unreadable expression disappearing quickly. "I was just wondering, that's all."

I don't know how to reply to Sam's statement, so we fall into silence. It's not an awkward silence though because we're both too caught up in our own thoughts to really notice it. I don't know what Sam is thinking about since I'm not a mindreader, but I'm thinking about Santana.

I think about her a lot of the time and I'm not really sure why. I think it's because she's great fun to be around and she's really my only other friend apart from Quinn and Sam.

She's so mysterious and I can understand why some people might be scared by her, but I'm not. Santana isn't scary. She's guarded and she has her secrets, but everyone is allowed to have them. I think she's opening up to me though because whenever I tell her something about my life, she tells me something about hers and it's like we're swapping information. I really like it when we do that because it means that I learn more about her.

"Brittany!" I snap out of my thoughts and look over at Sam who is smiling in amusement at me. "You need to listen to me, I wanna tell you something important."

"Sorry." I blush as I rest my head against his shoulder, wrapping my arms around his waist to give him a hug from the side. I feel Sam's arms wrap around me too and I'm thankful for that because it's quite cold in the choir room.

""Brittany, I have experienced the feeling that you're talking about." He reveals and it makes me relax because I now know that I'm not the only one that has experienced these feelings before.

"When?"

"When I first met Mercedes..."

"Oh."

* * *

**Incoming from Sam:** "Quinn is wondering where you are, what do you want me to tell her? xx"

I read Sam's text before placing my phone down onto the desk in front of me. It's lunch hour now, but instead of going to the cafeteria to have lunch, I've decided to go to the library so that I can have some time to myself.

Ever since my conversation with Sam earlier this morning, I've wanted it to be lunch so that I'd be able to have some time to myself. I thought that talking to Sam would help me out, but I really don't think it has because I feel like I'm even more confused than I was to start with.

He said that he had the funny fuzzy feeling when he first met Mercedes. A month or so after the two of them met, Sam asked Mercedes out on a date and they've been dating ever since. Well, I think they're still dating, they've been fighting a lot lately and no one really knows what's going on between them.

I still don't know what the feeling in my stomach means. Does it mean that I know Santana is a good person and that I want to spend more time with her, or does it mean that I want to date her? It just makes no sense. I've never dated anyone before, and I don't think Santana would even like to go on a date with me, so I don't think that these feelings can be right.

I just don't know what to do.

**Sending to Sam:** "Don't worry, I'll text her xx"

**Sending to Quinn: **"I'm at the library, I'll see you in Spanish xox"

There, now neither of them should be worried about me, but knowing Quinn she'll still worry about me because that's what she does. It seriously wouldn't surprise me if she showed up in the library just to make sure that everything is okay. I like that she does that though, because it's nice knowing that someone cares about me.

Since I have nothing better to do, I decide to continue working on my project for art. Before Santana and I were friends, I was ahead of schedule since I had no distractions, but now I'm falling behind because we always send notes to each other. I'm not complaining though, I'd rather send notes to Santana and fall behind with my project than not communicate with her at all.

I begin work on my first drawing. It's nearly finished. I just have to draw in my facial features and draw Sam's lips. I know that his lips are probably going to take a while since they're so big but I don't mind, I need to get them perfect because I know that Sam is insecure about them. I hope I don't upset him with my drawing.

Shaking the distracting thoughts out of my head, I begin to work.

I don't know exactly how long I've been working for, but I know it's not long before I'm interrupted. The sound of the chair on the opposite side of the table scraping along the carpet causes my whole body to tense up and for my heart to beat harder and faster than it was before. My left hand automatically reaches out to grab my phone, that's still lying in the desk, so that I can contact Quinn to come and save me if I need her to.

I keep my eyes focused on the paper in front of me, forcing myself to not look up at whoever is sitting opposite me because if I don't acknowledge them, then they might leave me alone. That's what I sometimes do with my mom and it usually works, so surely it should work on other people too.

"Brittany, it's just me." Santana's warm and soft voice causes me to instantly relax and I let out the deep breath that I was holding in. "You don't need to worry." She soothes as she place a comforting hand on top of my own, making it go all tingly.

I finally look up at the Latina sitting in front of me and I smile at her because even though she snuck up on me and scared me, I'm glad that she's here since I've not seen her since Friday. I reach down into my already open backpack and pull out my notebook.

_'Hey, what are you doing here?' _I scribble down onto a clean page before handing it to her.

"I spent ages looking for you because I wanted to talk to you." She reveals, squeezing my hand slightly. "Y-You weren't in art last period and I thought that maybe you were avoiding me because we haven't spoken since Friday night…"

Santana looks so sad when she says this and if there wasn't a desk in between us then I would totally hug her. '_I'm not avoiding you.'_ I quickly write down to put her out of her misery._ 'Sue called Quinn and I into her office when I was supposed to be in art, that's why I wasn't there. I'm sorry.' _

"Don't be sorry, it's not your fault." She tells me softly as she takes her hand away from mine. I don't know why she did that, but now my hand feels cold and I want her to hold it again. "I'm just glad that you're not avoiding me."

_'I'm definitely not avoiding you.'_

"That's good." Santana breathes out and as she does this, I can't help but look admire how pretty she looks right now. "Can I ask you something?"

_'Sure, go ahead.' _

"I was wondering if I could maybegetyourphonenumber?" Santana gushes out the last part of her sentence, and I don't quite catch what she says because I'm not used to anyone speaking that fast.

_'I didn't get that last part, can you repeat it please?' _

"I-I asked if I could get your phone number." She mumbles nervously, keeping her gaze focused down on the note in front of her. "It's just because we're friends, and friends have each other's numbers and I jus-"

_'Of course you can have my number, pass me your phone.'_ I cut Santana off by placing another note in front of her.

We swap phones and she puts her number in mine and I put my number in hers. I'm glad that Santana asked for my number because she's right, friends do have each other's phone numbers and now I can contact her whenever I want. It's great!

"So, how are you?" Santana asks me once we've swapped back phones. She seems more relaxed than she did a few seconds ago, and I think it's because I gave her her phone back. If there's one thing I know about Santana, it's that she takes her phone everywhere with her and she's really protective of it.

_'I'm good, thanks. How are you?' _

"I'm good." She tells me whilst wearing a genuine smile on her face. "I'm really good now that I'm here with you." She adds as she suddenly looks down at the floor. I wonder what's so interesting about it?

"Why are you here in the library all by yourself?" She asks a moment later and the floor mustn't be that interesting anymore because she looks back up at me.

_'I just needed some alone time so that I could do some thinking.' _

Santana's face scrunches up at the reply and I immediately begin to panic because I think that I must have done something to upset her or make her angry. "I should go then." Her voice brings me back into reality. "I didn't mean to interrupt." She stands up and picks her backpack up off the floor, getting ready to leave. However, I don't want her to leave, I like having her here. So I reach out and grab her wrist, stopping her.

Her chocolate brown eyes lock with mine and I swear I can feel myself getting lost in them. They're so mysterious and captivating, I think I could gaze into them for an entire day.

I go to write Santana a note to tell her not to leave, but before I can, she once again reads my mind and sits back down in her seat. Even though she's sitting back down, I don't let go of her wrist because I don't want her to go anywhere and I like having skin on skin contact with her. Sometimes, I wish that I could hold her hand, but I don't really think that it's a good thing to do because it's something I rarely do with Sam or Quinn, so I doubt that it's something I should do with Santana.

_'You don't have to leave, I like having you here with me.' _I write to her, letting her know that I want her to stay because sometimes, when I'm with Santana, she doesn't think she's a good enough person to be around and that's silly because I think she's amazing.

"Thank you, that's really sweet." She says and I notice that her cheeks have turned a little bit red. "Can I, uhm, ask what you were thinking about?"

I go to write down my response, but then I realise that if I tell Santana what I was thinking about, then she'd find out about the feelings that I have for her and I don't think I'm ready for her to know about them yet.

_'I've been thinking about feelings.' _I end up writing down, doing my best to keep it vague.

"Feelings? She repeats slowly with a frown, to which I nod my head. "What kind of feelings?"

_'The confusing kind.' _

"The confusing kind?" She quizzes. "What do you mean by that?"

_'The kind of feelings you get from spending time with someone else. Like you get a funny feeling in your stomach because of the other person. They're confusing feelings because I don't know what they mean.'_ As I write about the funny feeling in my stomach, I notice how strong the feeling in my stomach is. It's like someone is tap dancing inside of me.

"Hmm…" Santana hums out in thought as she studies me carefully. I don't know why she's looking at me like that, but it doesn't make me feel uncomfortable like it usually does when Quinn or Sam does it. "Confusing feelings are the worst kind, but if you ever want to discuss it them I'm here for you, okay?"

I nod my head and grin widely because Santana really is amazing.

* * *

**Incoming from Santana:** 'Hey, I'm just eating my dinner but I'll come over straight after, if that's okay? :)'

**Sending to Santana:** 'That's fine, see you soon! :)'

It's now Thursday evening, and it's been three days since mine and Santana's encounter in the library, and I'm finally using the number that she gave to text her. Ever since she gave me it, I've wanted to text her but I couldn't think of anything to say to her, so I decided against it.

Anyway, today when we were at cheerleading practice Santana asked me if I wanted to hang out with her after school and if course I said yes since I really like spending time with her. We decided that she'd come over to my house after she'd gone home for a little while first. I don't know why we always hang out at my house and not at hers, but I think it's because Santana is very guarded when it comes to her home life and I only know this because she never talks about it. I don't mind though, I just like that she actually wants to spend time with me.

**Incoming from Santana:** 'Great! See you soon :)'

"Brittany, dinner is ready!" My mom shouts from downstairs, so I quickly slip my phone in my pocket of my jeans and make my way downstairs. It's really strange to have my mom home at dinner time because it isn't something that happens very often, but I'm glad that she is because I feel like I haven't seen her in a while.

Once I arrive in the kitchen, I take a seat next to my mom and I begin to eat the lasagne that she has cooked. I don't really like lasagne and I thought my mom knew that, but I'm going to eat it anyway because I want to make her happy since most of the time she's angry and stressed out.

"How was school today, Brittany?" My mom asks me before taking another forkful of her dinner.

I smile and give my mom a thumbs up to let her know that school was okay today because its easier and quicker than getting my phone out and typing it to her. On the rare occasion that my mom asks me about school, I always tell her it was good even if it wasn't because I don't want her to worry about me. She's got a lot to deal with on her own.

I listen as my mom asks my sister the exact same question and I smile when Courtney begins to give us a very descriptive account of her day, leaving out none of the little details whatsoever.

I sort of zone out when Courtney is speaking, but you can't blame me because she already told me all about her day when I first got home from school. So instead of listening to her again, I let myself get lost in my own thoughts and I start to think about the person that's always on my mind, Santana.

I'm still confused about her.

All I can think about is my talk with Sam. He told me that he had the same feelings when he first met Mercedes, and when he first met Mercedes he had a crush in her. So does that mean the feelings that I have towards Santana are there because I have a crush on her?

How do you even know when you have a crush on someone?

From the very first moment I laid eyes on Santana, I thought that she was one of the most beautiful people I had ever seen, and I love spending time with her because she treats me like a normal person.

Does that mean I have a crush on her?

I remember when Sam had a crush on Mercedes, and Quinn had a crush on Rachel. My two best friends wanted to hold hands, kiss and go out on dates with their crushes. I guess I'd really like to hold Santana's hand because she has soft skin and I like the feeling that I get when our skin comes into contact. She has really nice lips too, and even though I've never kissed anyone, I think that I'd really like to kiss her. I've also never taken anyone out on a date before, but if I went on a date with Santana then it would mean that I could spend more time with her, and that's always a good thing. So I suppose I'd really like to do that too…

"BRITTANY!" My mom yells in my ear and nudges me slightly to get my attention. "I asked you a question."

I take my phone out of my pocket to apologise to my mom, but before I can type anything, Courtney begins to speak for me.

"Don't worry about her, mom." She says as she shoves some more food into her mouth. "She didn't hear your question because she's too busy daydreaming." I can see the mischievous glint in my little sister's eye and it makes me nervous. I don't like this.

"Daydreaming about what?" My mom interrogates, turning in her seat so that she's now facing me. However, I don't turn and look at her, I keep my gaze fixed to the plate of food in front of me.

"She's daydreaming about her crush!" Courtney giggles obnoxiously. I don't know why she's acting like this but I don't like it. She's been acting like this a lot lately, and I think it might be because of the age that she's at, I hope she stops it soon.

"Who is your crush?" My mom suddenly seems a lot more interested in the conversation, and I can feel my cheeks getting hotter. "Come on Brittany, tell me the name of the boy! Is it Sam?"

_'I don't have a crush on anyone!'_ I type out onto my phone to show my mom, but she takes no notice of it. She probably thinks I'm lying, but I'm not. I don't know if I have a crush on Santana yet.

"The crush isn't on a boy!" My sister reveals with a smug smirk. I should never of told my sister about my feelings for Santana, it was so stupid of me. "It's on a girl!" Now Courtney really has said too much so I kick her from underneath the table in an attempt to get her to stop. I usually hate using violence, but this time it was necessary.

"A girl?" My mom spits out in disbelief, and I can tell that just by the way she says it, that the conversation isn't going to end well. "You have a crush on a girl?"

_'I don't have a crush on anyone!' _I try to show her the message on my phone again, but she angrily hits it out of my hand, causing it to fly across the room before landing on the floor and skidding across it.

Her sudden actions scare me and I wince and cower away from her. I don't want her to be angry at me, especially when I've not done anything wrong.

"It's because of Quinn, isn't it?" My mother shouts as she forcefully throws her cutlery down onto her plate, the crashing noise causes both Courtney and I to jump in our seats. "I always knew that she'd try something with you, she's always had a weird obsession with you!"

As I listen to what my mom is saying, I begin to get angry because even though she is scaring me right now, she has no right to speak about my best friend like that. Quinn has been there for me through absolutely everything, which is more than can be said for her.

"You do not have a crush on Quinn, do you hear me?" She roars and I nod my head, because I do hear her since she's shouting so loudly. "You're already an embarrassment to the family, you don't need to be gay too."

Without saying anything else, my mom abruptly stands up from her seat and storms out of the kitchen. I hear the front door open and then slam shut, and then a few seconds later I hear her drive away in her car. I'm glad that she's gone because her last comment really hurt my feelings and I don't want to be anywhere near her right now.

"Brittany?" Courtney speaks and I furiously blink back the tears that have formed in my eyes as I look up at her. I don't know why I'm crying, but what I do know is that this is all her fault. She didn't have to say anything to my mom, she just did it to be mean. "I di-"

"Leave me alone!" I demand, cutting her off as I don't care about what she has to say. It's all her fault and I don't want her to be anywhere near me right now. "Go and find someone else to make fun of because I'm done!"

Courtney jumps down from her seat and runs out the room. I know that I've upset her, but right now, I'm too upset, angry and confused to care. She shouldn't have done what she did. I'll talk to her about it later, once everyone has calmed down.

Standing up from the table, I walk across to the other side of the kitchen and pick up the pieces of my phone. Luckily, it's not broken but the back has come off and the battery has fallen out of it, so I quickly put it back together. Now that I'm on my own, I let myself cry because no one is here to witness my weakness, well Lord Tubbington is but he's too busy standing on the dinner table, eating everyone's dinner to notice.

Just as I'm about to go up the stairs to my bedroom, I hear the doorbell ring so I quickly wipe my eyes with the sleeve from the hoodie that I'm wearing and I go to answer it.

"Brittany?" The smile from Santana's face quickly drops when she sees me. "You've been crying." She states and before I know it, she has her arms wrapped around me, hugging me tightly. My face finds its way to the crook of her neck and I bury myself into it, enjoying her warmth and comfort.

Whilst still being in her embrace, we somehow move further into the house and Santana kicks the door shut behind her. I don't want her to let me go so I wrap my arms around her waist and close all the distance between us. I really like hugging Santana.

"How about we go into the kitchen and I make us some hot chocolate and then you can let me know what has gotten you so upset, okay?" Santana suggests and I nod my head in response to her idea.

Reluctantly, I escape out of the Latina's embrace and walk through to the kitchen with her by my side, just having her here is making me feel better already. I get all the ingredients out of the cupboards for Santana, and then I lean against the counter top as I watch her make it.

Whilst Santana is concentrating on making the hot chocolate, I take the time to appreciate how pretty she looks as I didn't get the chance to do so when she first arrived here. She's wearing a pair of dark skinny jeans along with a red tank top. It's nothing fancy but she really suits it, especially now that she has her hair down. I think that Santana has the best hair that I've ever seen. It's so long, thick and curly, and I really wish that I had hair like hers.

"Here you go." Santana hands me my cup of hot chocolate which is accompanied by a mountain of cream and a ton of marshmallows, it's exactly the way that I like it. "Do you want to go through to the front room?"

I nod my head in reply to her question and I lead the way to the front room, and once we get there I take a seat on the couch and Santana does the same, sitting at an angle so that she's facing me.

"So do you want to tell me why you're so sad? You don't have to if you don't want to…" She trails off shyly as she tentatively takes a sip out of her mug.

I do want to tell Santana about my problems because talking about your problems is supposed to help, but I just don't know where to start. It's all so complicated and confusing and it makes my head hurt.

_'My sister started an argument between me and my mom. Then my mom got angry and she stormed out of the house.'_ I eventually type out, satisfied with the wording of my problem.

"Wait." Santana says slowly, scrunching her eyebrows together in confusion. "You and your mom had a fight, so she stormed out?" I nod my head in conformation which causes her frown to deepen. "Do you want to tell me what you were arguing about?"

_'We started arguing because Courtney told my mom that I had a crush on someone and she got angry.' _

"You have a crush on someone?" She asks quietly and it almost sounds as if she's a little bit upset by it. I shrug and nod my head at the same time because I guess that I could have a crush on Santana. "Oh…" she breathes out. "Why did that make your mom angry?"

_'She thought that my crush was a boy so she asked for his name, but Courtney told her I had a crush on a girl and it made her angry because she said that I was already an embarrassment to the family.' _

Santana is quiet for a minute and I think that I might have upset her, but when I look into her eyes I can tell that she's angry. "You are not an embarrassment." She states firmly, keeping her gaze fixed upon me. "Don't let anyone tell you you're an embarrassment because you are honestly one of the most amazing people that I have ever met. You should be proud of who you are because you are so so so special, Brittany, and you should never let anyone tell you otherwise."

Her voice has risen but it's not because she's shouting, it's because she's passionate about what she's saying. I don't know how to respond to Santana, so I just take a long drink of my hot chocolate so that she has some time to calm down.

"So, you've got a crush on a girl?" She eventually breaks the silence between us, nudging my shoulder playfully.

_'I think so… yeah.' I_ get a little bit nervous as I hand Santana my phone because I know that some people don't like it when girls have crushes on other girls, or when boys have crushes on other boys. I hope Santana isn't like that because it would suck if she did.

"That's cool." She smiles and I immediately relax. "I'm going to ask you ten questions about her and you can only nod or shake your head to answer them, okay? If you get uncomfortable then we can stop."

_'Okay.' _I type out before handing her over my phone so that I can't use it. I have to admit, I'm a little bit nervous, but I really like playing games with Santana so I know that it won't be that bad.

"Do I know her?" Is the first question that she asks.

I nod my head.

"Is she on the Cheerios?"

I nod my head.

"Does she have blonde hair?"

I shake my head.

"Can you talk to her?"

I shake my head.

"Do you communicate with her?"

I nod my head.

"Do you communicate with her often?"

I nod my head and I notice that Santana has a mysterious glint in her eye, but I can't quite understand what it means.

"Do you class her as a friend?"

I nod my head.

"Is she in any of your classes?" She asks as she finishes off the rest of her hot chocolate before placing the mug down onto the coffee table.

I nod my head.

"Does she sit next to you in two of those classes?" Santana shuffles closer to me and we're so close that our knees are touching. I really like having her this close to me and I wish that she'd always sit like this with me.

I nod my head.

I think that Santana knows that I'm talking about her because she's wearing a shy but knowing smile on her face as she bites down on her lower lip. She takes my now empty mug from my hands and places it next to hers before she turns back to face me.

"Is her name Santana Lopez?" She whispers, moving in closer to me. Her face is inches away from mine and her warm breath hits against my skin, causing my head to go all crazy.

I know that my face is bright red, I can feel it getting hotter by the second, so I look down into my lap and close my eyes as I try to make sense of everything in my head.

Santana knows I have a crush on her.

She might not like that I have a crush on her and she might not want to be friends with me anymore. I don't want that to happen. That can't happen. I need her in my life, she makes me happy.

"Hey, it's nothing to be embarrassed about." Santana's voice causes me to look back up at her, and I find her smiling at me. "We all have crushes on people, it's only natural." She adds as she squeezes my thigh gently in an attempt to let me know that everything is okay. It works and I relax completely under her touch as I have a feeling that she's not going to stop being my friend because of this.

"I-I want to try something with you, okay? Santana tells me, suddenly growing nervous. "If you don't like it or you want me to stop, just like, punch me in the face or something."

I have no idea what Santana is about to do, or what she's talking about, so I watch on in confusion, waiting for her to do something.

Slowly, the beautiful Latina removes her hand from my thigh and brings it up to settle on my shoulder, and then she brings her other hand up to rest on my waist. She lets out a shaky breath as she inches closer to me and before I know it, there's only a tiny gap between our lips.

"Do you want me to stop?" She breathes out, her breath intoxicating me.

I don't nod my head. I don't shake my head. Instead I close the distance between our lips.

* * *

THEY KISSED!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

It's 3am, I'm tired and I've had a little to drink so all mistakes are mine!

I'm still updating on my phone, hence why the updates are still so slow. I hope everyone had a fantastic Christmas btw.

Thank you for all the reviews and alerts, they make my heart happy so I'd appreciate it if you all keep them coming ;)

LupitaTequila13: thank you, I'm really glad that you liked it :) x

Mixtapesandcellmates: I'm glad you liked it, it was a little bit harder to write but I'll be throwing them in every now and then :)

nayalove: I'm glad you liked it :) thank you, I had a great Christmas! Did you?

Steph: I think that right now, Brittany is still too guarded to even slip up in front of Santana, but I do have a surprise about Brittany speaking coming up in either the next update or the one after, and lets just say Santana will die from the sweetness of it :)

Guest: thank you! I'm really glad you like it. I hope this update is quick enough for you :)

dianna agron foreves: Brittany is still too guarded, but don't worry I have something planned that will be a big surprise and I think you're gonna like it :)

LunarMiko07: thank you, I'm glad you liked it :)

slbsp-33: Thank you! I hope you enjoyed this update :)

taciiamayy: you've read I've changed three times? Woah, well you'll be glad to know I'm working on an update for that too! Aw thank you so much, I really hope you enjoyed this update :)

natxtk: Well, Santana never told Brittany that she liked her in this update, but she'll be definitely be talking about her feelings in the next one!

MarahxMonster: Aw thank you, I'm glad you think so!

wkgreen: No problem! I'm glad you liked it and I hope you enjoyed this update too :D

phoenix: Hmm… don't rule therapy out but for now, they're each others :)

naynay1963: bi-corn will be getting mentioned later on, I have a plan for that involving Quinn. Santana doesn't sit with them because she knows Quinn hates her and they sit with most of the glee club and she doesn't want to intrude. I hope that you enjoy this update and I hope that you had a great Christmas and new year! :)

Lionzroar12: Thank you, it means a lot that you think I'm a good writer! Don't worry, you'll find out more about Santana's past soon. I have a lot of interesting things planned for that :)

prattle01: thank you, I hope you enjoy this update too :)

BrittzTana: Brittany is slowly but surely beginning to trust Santana. In the next update, Brittany will learn a lot about Santana which will make her trust and admire her even more. Santana is aware that Brittany talks to a selected few people, but she doesn't really take notice of it as whenever she's around Brittany is silent

Di7fan: I so badly wanted to put the kiss in the last update, but it just didn't fit! But it's in this one so its all good :) thank you, I hope you enjoy this update!


	15. Let Me Help You Like You Help Me

My lips feel funny, it's as if they've gone numb an have fallen asleep, like what sometimes happens when you put too much weight on your hand or foot for a long period of time. Subconsciously, I bring my fingers up to trace over my lips, but it's just not be same as having Santana's lips there.

Santana and I actually kissed. I can't believe it. She was my first kiss and even though it didn't last very long, it was one of the best things that I have ever experienced. If I could kiss Santana forever without stopping then I definitely would.

"Woah." Santana finally breathes out, unable to hide the grin from her face. "That was a lot better than I imagined." She adds as she hands me back my phone so that I'm able to reply to her. However, I don't really know what to say so I just play with the phone in my hands.

"Uhm, you're not mad at me for kissing you, are you?" She's asks as she slides her hand that was resting on my shoulder down my arm and side before resting it on my thigh. "I'm sorry if you are."

I shake my head in response to her question because I am definitely not mad at her for kissing me. Words can't describe how happy I am that she did, and I actually really want to kiss her again, but I don't know if Santana wants me to do that.

"How do you feel about all of this?" Santana questions, gesturing between our bodies. I don't exactly understand what she means by that so I just quirk my eyebrow, silently asking for her to elaborate further. "I mean, did you like the kiss? Did you want me to kiss you? Does it mean anything to you?"

I have to think about the questions for a moment, but it's not because I don't know what to say. It's because I don't know how to word my answer. '_Yes, I really liked the kiss and yes, I did want you to kiss me. Of course it meant something to me Santana, it was my first kiss and having it with you just made it a million times better.' _

There's so much more that I want to say to Santana and it really frustrates me that I can't. If I wasn't so stupid and insecure then I wouldn't have this problem. I wish I could be normal.

"I-I was your first kiss." She suddenly says in realisation. "Brittany, I completely forgot about that! You shouldn't have let me kiss you!"

Now I'm confused because a minute ago Santana told me that our kiss was a lot better than she imagined, but now she's telling me that I shouldn't have let her kiss me. It makes no sense.

_'What? Why not?' _

"Because I'm not good for you!" She sighs loudly, running her fingers through her hair as she does so. "Your first kiss is supposed to be special and with someone that you really like and I've just went and ruined that for you!"

I don't like arguing because it makes my head hurt and it involves shouting, but I know that I need to argue with Santana about this. She's wrong. She didn't ruin anything for me.

_'My first kiss was special because it was with you, Santana. I have feelings for you. Feelings that I don't exactly know the meaning of because I've never experienced them before, but they're good feelings and I only have them for you. So you haven't ruined anything, instead you made everything perfect.'_

Santana hands me back my phone when she finishes reading my response, but she doesn't say anything. She just sits there with her jaw clenched, staring at me. It's not intimidating though because when I look into her eyes, I can see the hurt and sadness in them.

"I have those feelings for you too." She finally confesses softly, making my heart beat faster. "You are the most beautiful, interesting and inspiring person that I have ever met and you never fail to amaze me."

I'm not used to hearing so many compliments about myself so it doesn't come as a surprise to me when I feel my cheeks getting hotter. It does however give me a confidence boost and I put my hand on top of the tan one that's still resting on my thigh.

"I'm not a good person." She states, throwing me completely off guard, because I'm certain Santana is one of the nicest people I have ever met. "You shouldn't like me." She adds through gritted teeth, pulling her hand out from underneath mine.

In my opinion, Santana's being really silly because she is a good person. She became friends with me even though I'm a complete freak. She has protected me from Finn, Puck and other people at school, and she even helps me out in Spanish when I need it. She patient with me, she always reads and respects what I write, and somehow she is always there when I need her.

How can she say she's not a good person?

_'I do like you and I think you're a wonderful person, so please don't even try to change my opinion of you because it's not going to work.' It's true, she can't change my mind. I think she's amazing and she can't just make me change my feelings for her. _

"I can't make you change your mind?" She challenges, chuckling bitterly. "I'm gay, Brittany. I'm a lesbian! My parents say they're okay with it, but they do whatever they can to avoid me! For all my life, my parents have always worked ridiculously long hours so I've never really had parental figures in my life, but when they found out I was gay they extended their hours. What kind of parents do that? Do you know how it feels to be rejected by your own family?" She's crying now and I have to do everything within my power not to hug her. I want to hug her, I really do, but her body language gives the impression that she doesn't want me to do that right now.

'_Yes, Santana I know exactly how it feels.' _I type out sadly. _'Do you honestly think that my mom accepts the fact that I can't talk? Everyday she tells me that things would be so much easier if I could talk or if I was normal, sometimes Courtney does too. So yes Santana, I do know.' _

"Brittany, I co-" I raise my hand signalling for her to stop talking, which she does and it makes me happy because I haven't finished telling her everything that I want to say.

_'Quinn is gay and she's still my best friend. There's nothing wrong with you being gay and I think that you're parents are silly if they're uncomfortable with it. You're a good person, Santana and I'll tell you that every single day until you believe me.' _

"I've hurt so many people in my past, I don't want to hurt you too." Santana argues weakly. "I'm a bitch and so many people hate me for it. I'm not good enough for you Brittany! Can't you see that?"

No. I can't see that because all I can see is Santana and she is absolutely perfect in my eyes. _'You are good enough, please stop saying that you're not! You've been nothing but nice to me, you're not going to hurt me. I trust you.' _

"I was a total bitch to you when we first met! How can yo-"

I cut Santana off by pressing my lips against hers. I know that she might get angry about this, but I don't care because right now all I want for her to do is to stop talking. She is good enough for me and I try to convey this through the kiss as I begin to move my lips against hers.

At first, Santana doesn't respond and I think about pulling away, but before I can, her lips begin to move, keeping up with mine. I bring my hand up to Her cheek, admiring how soft her skin is, staying as close to her as I can. I feel Santana gently push my shoulder and I willingly let myself be pushed backwards until my back presses against the couch, so that I'm lying on it. Santana follows me with the movements and before I even know what's really happening, she's lying on top of me with her legs in between mine.

"Brittany…" Santana says breathlessly, breaking the kiss between us. I'm a little out of breath too, so I rest my head on the back of the couch and close my eyes. I feel the Latina shift around on top of me for a moment and then suddenly I feel her bury her face into the crook of my neck.

I really like the feeling.

I remove one of my hands that somehow found its way to Santana's waist, and I pick up my phone that I dropped whilst I was kissing Santana so that I can send a message to her. _'I don't really care about when we first met, you've changed and that's all that matters. Stop telling me you're a bitch and a bad person because I'm not going to believe you. I like you Santana.' _

I hand Santana my phone and she reads it whilst she's still cuddled into me. "But I'm broken, Brittany." She mumbles into my neck, her lips brushing against my skin. "I'm so fucked up."

'_And you think that I'm not? Let me help you like you've helped me. I'm not going to give up on you Santana, so please stop trying to argue with me because it makes me sad and it gives me a sore head.' _

The brunette on top of me lets out a deep breath before pulling away from me a little bit so that we're now face to face. "You are just so perfect." She says before kissing my forehead and then returning to her previous position, snuggling further into me.

I don't think Santana wants to talk anymore and that's okay, so I just hold her tighter.

* * *

"I suppose I should be heading home." Santana mumbles tiredly as she checks the time on her phone. "It's nine thirty and my parents will throw a bitch fit if I'm not home before them."

I'm not entirely sure how long Santana and I have been on the couch cuddling, but I know it's been at least an hour or two. I've loved every second of it because even though we were lying in silence for most of the time, I was able to have Santana in my arms and be lost in my thoughts at the same time. It was a win win situation.

When Santana stands up I automatically miss her body weight on top of mine and I have the sudden urge to pull her back down, but I know it's not a good idea since she needs to leave, so I stand up too. I'm sure we'll be able to cuddle another time.

"I've really had a great night with you tonight, Brittany." Santana tells me with a big smile on her face and that sight alone makes me smile too. Santana really does have a beautiful and infectious smile. "You are going to be okay if I leave though, right?"

_'Yeah, why wouldn't I be?' _I type out as I raise a questioning eyebrow at her.

"We'll when I first arrived here you were upset because you had a fight with your mom and sister." She reminds me, and all the earlier events come back into my head. I had completely forgotten about my mom and Courtney. "I don't want to leave you if you're not going to be okay."

_'You're so sweet, but I think I'll be fine.' _I reassure her. _'When you leave, I'm just going to go up to my room and watch tv, I'll text you if anything goes wrong, okay?'_

"Okay." The brunette nods her head in agreement. "You have to promise that you'll text me though. I don't care what the problem is, if anything goes wrong you let me know."

I think that Santana is acting just as protective as Quinn usually is right now, and I have to say that it really makes me happy.

It makes me really happy to see Santana do her best to protect me because no one except from Quinn and Sam has done that for me in such a long time. I feel like I must be dreaming it all, but I know that it's real because Santana is sitting right next to me and I've already pinched myself to make sure that I was awake. It hurt a little bit.

_'I promise.' _

Santana and I walk to the front door of the house and I open it for her, but she doesn't move from the hallway. She's not even facing the door, she's got her back to it and she's facing me and that really makes no sense since she's supposed to be leaving.

"It's Friday tomorrow." Santana states, and I nod my head because ever since Quinn helped me to read a calendar I've been good at remembering the dates and days of the week.

"Are you busy tomorrow night?" I shake my head in response because I'm not busy at all. Sam and I were supposed to have our movie night, but he cancelled yesterday because he has to babysit his brother and sister.

"Well then…" Santana takes a deep breath in and exhales slowly, calming her nerves that have creeped into her voice. "Would you like to go on a date with me tomorrow night?" She shyly asks as she hands me her phone so that I can reply to her.

I take a second to make sure I'm hearing Santana right because I can't believe that she asked me out on a date! I've never been on a date before and I never thought I'd be asked on one either, it's exciting to think that Santana wants to go on one with me.

_'I'd love to!' _

I watch as Santana reads my response, mouthing every word of it and I notice the smile on her face appear again. I'm glad I could make her happy since that's what she deserves.

"Great!" She does her best to hide the excitement in her voice, but I can still hear it. I think it's cute. "I'll text you or I'll talk to you tomorrow and give you all the details."

Santana takes a step towards me and wraps her arms around my neck, pulling me in closer to her. "I can't wait for tomorrow." She whispers into my ear before pressing her lips against mine, giving me a soft peck. "Goodnight, Brittany."

* * *

I know what you're all thinking: 'Omg another update already?!' Haha, it's a short update hence why I've done it quicker than usual. I really hate writing short updates, but it just felt perfect ending this one where I did so I hope you all like it.

It's 1am, all mistakes are mine!

Thank you for all the alerts and reviews, they make my heart happy and motivate me to write faster so please keep them coming!

Also, if you want to follow me on twitter so you can talk to me or remind me to update my username is SoyLinzi

permanentmark - I hope that's a good wow!

knowthescore - At least you didn't have to wait long to find out! I hope you liked it!

Lanter - I agree, it was a good way to start the new year! I'm glad you liked it :)

DrunkOffOfCandy - Yay, I'm glad it made you smile! :)

mixtapesandcellmates - Glad you liked it! I hope you liked this update too!

Rosetoast - Santana is definitely sly! Aw thank you! Writing on my phone has its perks though because I can write wherever I am haha. I hope you liked this update too!

wkgreen - I'm really glad you liked it!

BrittzTana - good, you're supposed to dislike Brittany's mom and Courtney is only eleven so yeah, she can be a little insensitive and annoying. Don't worry though, Snixx might pay them a visit soon ;)

mel-kung - At least you didn't have to wait long!

Pridemunkeyz - You're back to reviewing! Yaaay! Don't rule out the Unholy Trinity yet because you never know what could happen… Also there will be more Quitt cuddles coming up! Santana is always whipped when it comes to Brittany, lets be honest.

nayalove - Santana is very sneaky haha, I hope you liked this update! :)

prattle01- I'm glad you liked it! Yeah I agree, they do suck. Well, I think Courtney is just a little bit insensitive I mean, all little sisters can be annoying! I hope you liked this update :)


	16. Laughter

I walk down the empty corridors of the school, turning my head to the left and to the right to look at all my surroundings. It's lunch hour now, so pretty much everyone is either inside the cafeteria or outside of school to get their lunch. However, I'm not going to the cafeteria like I usually do because Santana asked me to meet her at her locker, so that's exactly where I'm going.

It's Friday today which means that Santana and I have our date tonight and I'm super excited about that. I've never been on a date before and I don't know what to expect, but I know that it'll be fun with Santana because I really like spending time with her. I wouldn't even mind if we just sat and watched movies for a few hours together because I'm sure that Santana could make that fun too.

When I turn the corner to Santana's locker, I see her standing there, but she doesn't notice me because she has her back to me and her phone pressed against her ear. "W-Why do you keep doing this to me? What do you want from me?" I hear her hiss into the phone, her voice cracking slightly. "Haven't you tortured me enough?"

It feels weird listening into Santana's conversation without her knowing that I'm standing there, so I walk around her and lean against her locker. She jumps at the sight of me, but she quickly relaxes and sends me a smile. I can still tell that she's upset though, I can see it in her eyes and I just want to give her a hug to make her feel better.

"Whatever." She says harshly into the phone, her voice suddenly growing stronger and I think it's because she wants to act tough in front of me. "I'm going now." She hangs up her phone and shoves it into the pocket of her Cheerios jacket before she can even get a reply from the person that she was talking to.

I want to know who the mysterious person on the phone to Santana is, but I know that it's none of my business. However, whoever it was has made Santana upset and I don't like that because I like seeing her smiling instead. I want to bring the subject up and ask her who it is, but I know that if she wants to talk about it then she will.

"What are you thinking about, Brittany?" Santana asks, placing her hand on my arm which makes me snap out of my thoughts. "Have you got something on your mind?"

I simply shake my head in response, not wanting to go into detail with what I'm thinking about because it's really not that important. I watch as Santana eyes me skeptically and I can feel my cheeks heat up from her stare, so in order to distract her, I wrap my arms around her waist and pull her in for a hug. I instantly feel her relax against my body and I smile when I feel her wrap her arms around my neck.

"How did you know that's exactly what I needed?" She whispers into my ear, resting her chin on my shoulder. Her breath tickles my skin and I can feel a shiver rack through my body, but I try and act as if everything is normal because I don't now if Santana's supposed to be able to do that to me. "Are you excited for our date tonight?"

I nod my head as I reluctantly begin to pull away from the Latina, but before I can create any space between us, she grabs onto both of my hands, holding them in hers. I look down at them and interlock our fingers together before softly squeezing them. "I'm going to pick you up at six, okay? I'm not telling you where we're going because it's a surprise but I think that you're going to like it."

I want to tell Santana that I don't mind what we do because I'm going to like it no matter what, but my notebook is in my bag and my phone is in my pocket, and I don't want to let go of Santana's hand to get it out, so I simply nod my head once again and smile at her to show my excitement. I really can't wait for tonight.

* * *

**Sending to Quinn:**_'Hey, can you come over? I need your help with something xox'_

I've just got home from school which means I have two hours until my date with Santana. Luckily, Coach Sue cancelled practice after school today because if she didn't, I would have only had about half an hour to get ready. I want Quinn to come over and help me pick out something to wear because I've never been on a date before so I don't know exactly what to wear.

**Incoming from Quinn:**_ 'Of course I can, I'll be there in fifteen minutes. I can only stay for an hour though, I'm taking Rachel to the movies xox'_

I let out a breath of relief when Quinn agrees to come over because I really do need her help. However, I'm sort of disappointed that she can only stay for an hour because lately, we haven't been spending a lot of time with each other and I miss her. I know that I've been busy hanging out with Santana and she's been busy with Rachel, but she is my best friend and I miss her, and I don't want her to forget about me completely.

**Sending to Quinn: **_'Great! See you soon :) xox'_

Throwing my phone down onto my bed, I make my way towards the bathroom, stopping at my cupboard first so that I can grab a towel form it. I usually hate showering early in the evening, but since I'm going out tonight and Quinn isn't going to be here for another fifteen minutes, I decide that now is probably the best time to do so. I strip out of my Cheerios uniform and turn the hot water on, jumping into the shower as soon as the temperature is right. I don't want to take too long in the shower, so I let my hair down from it's ponytail and I quickly begin to wash it, along with my body.

I get the biggest fright of my life when I enter my bedroom with just a towel wrapped around my body because I find Quinn lying on my bed with her hands behind her head. I don't get a fright because I'm in a towel, I mean, we've seen each other naked and in our underwear plenty of times so it doesn't bother me, it's because I wasn't expecting her to be here already.

"Hey, B!" My best friend greets me cheerfully as I close my bedroom door, completely unphased by the state I'm in. "What do you need my help with?"

"I'm going out tonight and I don't know what to wear." I explain, taking a seat over at my desk so that I can face her. "What movie are you going to go and see with Rachel?" I add in an attempt to take all focus off of me.

"Where are you going?" She presses further, raising a perfectly arched eyebrow. "I don't actually know what it's called, it's a new musical remake thing that Rachel wants to see, so I surprised her with a date tonight."

I mentally take a note of Quinn's idea of a surprise date because if things go well with Santana tonight, then that's something I want to do with her. I think that she would really like a surprise date because I have a feeling that she doesn't often get surprises. "I'm going out to dinner." I tell her shortly, hoping that she won't question in any further. "Can you help me pick out something to wear now? I'm getting cold."

"Of course!" Quinn jumps up from my bed and walks towards my closet, throwing the doors open as she immediately begins to rummage through it all. I have a massive closet because my mom always buys me clothes whenever she goes out shopping, but I rarely wear any of them. Quinn says she's jealous with the amount of clothes I have, but I don't understand why because they're more of a nuisance than anything else. "Are you going out to dinner with your mom and sister?"

I'm not good at lying and I know that I shouldn't lie, but I don't know what else to do because I don't think I'm ready to tell Quinn that I'm going out on a date with Santana. "Yeah." I call out and I'm glad that my best friend has her back to me because she doesn't see me shift uncomfortably in my seat. If she was facing me, then I can guarantee that she'd know I was lying to her.

"That's nice of her, but it's a little bit weird don't you think?" She comments as she throws a few items of clothing onto my bed. "I thought she usually goes out with her friends on a Friday?"

"I think she just feels bad." I shrug as I slowly move over to my bed to see what Quinn has picked out for me. "She usually goes out but today before I went to school, she told me she was finishing work early so that she could spend time at home."

I immediately know I've said too much when Quinn spins around to face me because I can see the anger in her eyes. "What has she done this time, Brittany?" She practically growls. "What does she have to feel bad about?"

"Nothing." I sigh, doing my best to think of the right words to say. "She just got angry at me yesterday. I don't really want to talk about it."

Quinn stares at me for a moment and doesn't say anything, but she eventually turns back around and starts looking through my clothes.

"Your mom is such a bitch." She whispers and I don't think I'm supposed to hear her, but I do.

"I know."

* * *

I decide to wait outside my house for Santana because even though it would be really cool if she did what everyone does in the movies and come and knock on my door with a bunch of flowers, I don't want my mom or Courtney to find out about my date tonight. They both know that I'm going out, but they think that Sam is coming to pick me up and then he's going to take me back to his house to hang out since we're usually together every Friday night. I don't like lying to them and I wanted to tell them that I was going on a date with Santana, but after my mom shouted at me about not being gay, I've decided just to keep it a secret for now. It's probably easier that way.

I've still got five minutes to wait until Santana arrives, so I just sit on the front steps and trace patterns on my jeans. I'm really excited about tonight because it's my first date ever and it's with Santana which just makes it perfect. Even though she tells me that she's not, I think that she really is amazing and I'm lucky to be spending my Friday night with her. However, I don't even know why she wants to spend her time with me because she's really smart, funny and pretty, and I'm none of those things. I'm sure that she could find someone so much better than me to date.

I'm broken out of my thoughts when Santana's car stops outside of my house, and I watch with a smile on my face as Santana herself gets out of it and begins to walk towards me. Since it's winter, it's already kind of dark outside but the streetlights make it possible for me to see that she is wearing a dark pair of skinny jeans and a leather jacket, and in her hair she's wearing a red headband. She looks beautiful.

"Hey Brittany." Santana beams when she notices me sitting there, so I stand up and walk over to her, meeting her halfway. "Are you not cold waiting out here by yourself?" She questions, her hand reaching out to touch my arm like she did earlier today.

Santana's hand travels slowly travels down my arm until she brushes against my hand, nudging it slightly before slipping her fingers through mine. "Your hands are cold." She notes as she takes a step closer to me, her sweet breath tickling my skin. She stretches up slightly on her tiptoes and presses her lips against my cheek, leaving them there to linger for a moment before pulling away. "I'm sorry, I just had to do that… it's okay though, isn't it?"

Santana kissing my cheek is more than okay so to put her out of the panic mode that she's gotten herself into, I lean over and kiss her cheek, leaving my lips to linger for as long as she did before pulling away and looking down towards the ground. The only person's cheek that I have ever kissed before is Quinn's, but I think that I like kissing Santana's more because her skin is so soft and warm. "You're cute." She giggles as she gives my and a small tug so that I'll look back up at her. "Let's get in the car now because I have a great night planned for us."

Santana doesn't talk to me during the car ride and that's fine because I would rather her concentrate on driving rather than read my answers to her questions. One time, I was in the car with Sam and Mercedes and he tried to read one of my answers whilst driving and we nearly crashed. I don't want that to happen again. Instead, she has the radio on and is humming along to the song that is currently playing. I don't know what the song is, but I can tell just by the way that she's drumming her fingers against the steering wheel in time with the beat, that Santana knows it very well. I think that Santana is probably the most interesting person that I've ever met so I just rest my head against the window and watch her for the remainder of the journey.

About twenty minutes later Santana stops the car and turns to face me, and for the first time this evening, she looks quite nervous. "I-I didn't know what you would want to do on a first date, and I know that this might sound a bit silly but I have always had a vision of how I would have liked my first date to go." She explains, nervously tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "I thought that for the first part of our date, we could go ice skating. That's if you like ice skating because if you don't we can totally go somewhere else…" Her voice trails off and she looks at everything in the car but me. "I'm sorry, I should of asked what you wanted to do, I'm so selfish."

I think it's cute when Santana is rambling on, but I frown when she starts to put herself down. I do like ice skating. I used to go every weekend with my father when he was alive, but when he got sick we had to stop going. I've not been since then and even though a small part of me wants to keep it that way because it was something that just me and my father did together, the bigger part of me wants to do it with Santana. I know that I can't live in the past forever and I'm pretty sure that if my dad was here now then he would be encouraging me to do this. I need to experience new things, and I want to do that with Santana.

It's at times like this that I wish that I could talk because I really want to tell Santana that ice skating is okay and I really want to go with her. I reach out and gently rest my hand on her leg so that she looks up at me, and when she finally does, I smile at her. With my free hand I reach into my bag and pull out my phone so that I can tell her how I really feel.

_'I do want to go ice skating with you, it's a great surprise.'_

"You really think so?" She asks hesitantly, to which I nod my head and I watch in satisfaction as her whole body relaxes. "I'm sorry for acting so weird, it's just that the person I dated before thought that going ice skating was kind of silly and I was worried that you would think the same, sorry I just want tonight to be perfect…" She trails off with a frown, and I just want to reach out and hug her because she looks so uncomfortable and insecure right now. "Have you ever been ice skating?" She smiles in relief when I nod my head. "Good because I've never been before so I'm going to need you to teach me."

Santana and I have been on the ice for a while now and I'm really glad that she decided to come here because we're having so much fun. Well, I am, Santana keeps panicking because she thinks that she's going to fall, but I know that she's not going to because I'm holding onto her hand. That's another thing I like about ice skating, I get to hold Santana's hand for the whole time. Luckily, there are only a few other people on the ice so we can move as slowly as we want. I know that if I was on my own, I would have already of skated around the rink hundreds of times, but I'd rather just stay by Santana's side because in my opinion it's a million times better.

"Okay Britt, I think I've got it now." Santana says as we come to a stop at the side of the rink. For the past half hour or so Santana has been trying to gain the courage to be able to skate without any assistance, but so far she keeps chickening out last minute. "I'm going to try and skate on my own, but I want you to stay here and watch so that you can see if I'm doing it right, okay?"

I agree with the beautiful brunette in front I me and squeeze her hand to wish her good luck before reluctantly letting go. I watch as she stumbles through her first few steps but she quickly regains her balance and sets off at a steady pace. "Look Britt, I'm doing it!" Santana cries as she turns her head to look at me. However, she spoke too soon because in a matter of seconds, she loses her balance and falls on her butt.

I'm not too sure what came over me, but before I can help it or stop myself, a giggle escapes past my lips. As soon as I realise what has happened, my eyes widen and I clamp my hand over my mouth. I look over at Santana to see if she's heard me, but her face shows no sign of it and that makes me relax a little bit.

"Brittany!" Santana calls again, gaining my attention. "Can you help me up, please?" I quickly skate over to her, only stopping when I'm standing behind her and I carefully slip my arms under hers and pull her up gently, making sure not to hurt her. Once she's standing again, I wrap my arms around her slim waist, keeping her close to me. "Can we skate like this?" Santana questions, turning her head to the side to look at me whilst taking a step backwards so that her body is right up against mine. "I don't want to fall again."

I really like having Santana this close to me and I don't want her to fall again, so I nod my head and kiss her cheek to let her know that it's more than okay for us to skate like this.

* * *

After skating for a little while longer, Santana drives us to a little restaurant so that we can have dinner together. I would never tell Santana this because I don't want to ruin our night, but I'm a little bit nervous about eating in such a public place with her. It's not because of all the people, I'm used to them, it's because they'll probably stare at me and Santana since I can't talk and I don't want her to have to deal with that.

"Can I order for you?" Santana asks once we're both seated. Luckily we're in a more secluded part of the restaurant so there's not that many people near us and this puts me a little bit more at ease. The idea of Santana ordering for me sounds great and somewhat romantic, but before I can tell her that, she's looking at me doubtfully and shifting uncomfortably in her seat. "S-Sorry." She stammers out. "I-It's just that I've always wanted to order for someone… but it doesn't matter. I mean, you probably don't want me to. I'm sorry."

I really don't like seeing Santana being this hard on herself, so once again I grab my phone so that I can tell her how I really feel and what I actually think about her idea. '_I would love it if you ordered for me, San' _I hand her my phone and I watch as her whole face lights up. I'm glad that I can make her happy.

Santana orders for the both of us and whilst we're waiting for our food, she keeps me distracted by telling me stuff about her life. It's nice to see her so open and care free because most of the time she's really sad or guarded. So far I've found out that she used to live in Florida, she has a new obsession with breadsticks, she speaks fluent Spanish and that her favourite superhero is Spider-Man.

"So anyway, enough about me." Santana says just as the waiter comes over with our food. "I want to know more about you. How did you meet Sam and Quinn?" She asks, and I find it really cute that even though she doesn't get along with my friends very well, she still wants to hear about them.

I pick up my phone from the table and begin to type out my answer. It's quite a long answer because Quinn and I became friends when we were really young. Her father's car had broken down and he had brought it to my dad to fix it. Luckily it was the weekend and my dad was working from home that day and Mr Fabray brought Quinn along with him. We've been inseparable ever since. Sam however, didn't become friends with us until a few years later because his family moved to Lima when we were in third grade. He was a really shy boy, but me and Quinn asked him to be our friend because he was blonde like us.

"What the hell do you think you're staring at?" Santana's voice causes me to jump and my eyes snap up from my phone screen to see that she is glaring at the waiter who is still standing at our table. However, he's not just standing at our table, he's staring at me and I feel my cheeks begin to burn. "I asked you a question!"

"I-I, s-she." He stutters out, not knowing what to say, and I feel kind of sorry for him because if Santana was glaring at me like that and if I could speak to her, then I'm pretty sure that I'd be lost for words too. "S-She doesn't s-speak." He finally says and I hide my face in my hands because I can feel people's eyes on me and it makes me want to disappear.

"Nice observation, asshole. It's nice to know that you're not blind!" She replies sarcastically with a roll of her eyes. "Now, as you can see I'm on a date here and you've made her extremely uncomfortable so I suggest that you walk away and get everyone else to stop staring right now afores I ends you. Are we clear?"

Since my eyes are screwed shut and my face is hidden in my hands, I don't know how the man replied to Santana but I have a feeling that he must have nodded his head or something because a few seconds later, I hear him scampering away. I feel so embarrassed right now because it's all my fault that there are random people staring at our table and I'm sure Santana must think I'm a freak now and she'll probably never want to go on a date with me again. I don't blame her though because I know I'm a lot of work. I wouldn't be surprised if Santana wanted to leave the restaurant right now.

Silence surrounds the table and I'm tempted to move my hands away from my face in order to see if Santana is still there, but when I try to, it's like they're frozen in place. I think it's probably for the best if they are because that way, I can't watch Santana get up and leave. I just feel so stupid right now because I always ruin everything. Even Quinn and Sam rarely take me out to restaurants in case something like this happens.

"Britt?" I hear Santana ask, but her voice is louder than it was before and it's as if she's standing right next to me. "It's just me, Britt. No one else is looking at you, I promise." My suspicions about Santana being closer to me are confirmed when I feel her wrap both of her hands around my wrists before gently tugging at them to remove my hands away from my face. I let her do that and once she's finished, he presses individual kisses onto my palms before speaking once again.

"Brittany, can you open your eyes for me?" She requests and her voice is so smooth and soft that it makes me feel so safe that I slowly open them and find Santana crouching down beside me. "There you are, beautiful." She smiles and I feel my face heat up at her words. "I don't want you to pay any attention to what that guy just did because he's just an ignorant asshole who shouldn't even of had the honour of serving you. I'm really enjoying being on this date with you, but if you're uncomfortable we can leave, would you like to do that?"

I shake my head indicating that I don't want to do that because even though I am a little but uncomfortable, I want to finish my date with Santana and have a good time with her. I want to show her that I'm normal and this one tiny thing doesn't change anything at all. I really think Santana is perfect because she's always so patient and kind towards me, and it makes me want to kiss her as a way of saying thank you. My eyes travel down to her lips and I subconsciously lick my own, and then, before I can stop myself, I press mine against hers.

When I pull away, Santana doesn't say anything. She just smiles shyly and stands up before reluctantly going back around to her side of the table.

* * *

Once Santana and I have finished our dinner, Santana pays the bill (but not before she complains to the manager about the waiter that we had, which results in us both getting a free meal… so really she didn't pay it at all) and then drives us home. I'm a little bit disappointed that our date is over because I had a great time and I let Santana know that multiple times throughout dinner. I hope that our next date - if Santana agrees to go on another one with me - will be just as great.

We arrive at my house far too quickly for my licking, and the brunette parks her car before following me up the steps to my house, and I can't help but smile because this is what exactly happens in the movies. "So, I usually don't kiss on the first date, but you already broke that rule." She jokes, chuckling lightly as she shuffles towards me a little bit, and I catch on quickly to what she's found. "Can I kiss you, Brittany?"

Like the first time we kissed, I don't give her an answer and instead I lean in and meet her halfway. I think that kissing Santana is my favourite thing to do because her lips are so soft and they mould together with mine perfectly. One of her hands comes up and cups my cheek, and I feel my hands hold her waist tighter so that I can pull her closer into my body, until they're pressed together. If I could have it my way, I would hold Santana like this forever.

Wen we break apart, Santana nuzzles her face into my neck and I hold her tighter in my arms. The cold winter air is nipping at my skin, but I do my best to ignore the feeling because I don't want this moment with Santana to end.

"I have a confession to make." She mumbles into my neck before pulling back a little bit so that I can look at her in the eyes. She looks a little bit nervous now and that makes me worried because I'm scared of what her confession might be. "A-At the ice rink I-I heard you laughing." She admits in one breath, stumbling over her words as she does so and I feel my whole body freeze. "But Britt, I just wanted to let you know that you have the most beautiful sounding laugh that I have ever heard and I'd fall on my ass and make a fool of myself every single day if it meant that I could hear it again."

* * *

Hi, so I know that I said that I was taking some time off from updating because I needed to deal with some stuff. Well, I'm still dealing with it, but recently I've just been feeling good (I don't really know how to explain it) so I decided to finish an update to this.

I would like to thank everyone who has supported me and sent me messages by reviewing, pm-img, tweeting and posting in my ask box on tumblr. They have all meant so much to me and have made me feel so much better about everything that's going on. It's nice to have the support of others.

Anyway, updates will still be slow, but I thought I may as well post this since I already had it finished. (I also have an update for I've Changed finished, but I'll post it tomorrow when I've typed it all up and read through it)

I don't know who reads what fics, but I would like to dedicate this update to the following people for talking to me and helping me out:

CharmYourPantsOff (you're such a sweet, kind and genuine person, thank you)

gleeeeeeeek89 (you're the best friend ever)

Pikibear (from tumblr, you're so nice)

Zen-naya (from tumblr, you're so nice and kind too)

Once again, thank you to everyone, let me know what you think :)


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